Once Upon a Time... linkup: Character Cast

“A book more than just a good story. It’s the people behind the story.”

So here is the chance!!!!

Introduce your characters!!! 

After all of the snippets I have been sharing, I came to the realization that most of my readers really don’t know much about my characters.

Something special happens when you become linked with the characters of a book. Suddenly, they become alive, something important, fragile, and real. You are transported to their world, want to know them, share in their every thought and deed.

That is when a story has reached its full measure.

Because of that, I want to begin introducing my characters to you, starting with today. Each and every one is so real to me, I dream about them at night with the same precision I dream about my friends. Their wants, passions, and quirks are true and real. Now I hope you will dive into my world with me.

You do not want to know how many story ideas are revolving in my mind right now. It is scary.

But I have two novels that are undergoing major development. One is finished (my historical fiction) and the other is well on its way to being complete (my fantasy). I am going to start with the fantasy, because at this point the cast of characters is small and limited, whereas, my historical fiction….well, ah, it has a cast that could fit into a large spaceship.

First off: a little about the story The Last Scribe and my protagonist, - - - - n.

It is told by “Breem”, in the first person. He’s 19. He wants to know who he really is. For so many years he has been cast aside, ignored, unloved. And he’s different, in so many ways. From his right hand, to his eyes, to a strange possession of stamina, he is like no other person he has ever met. He doesn’t understand the world around him, a world falling apart and burning in the wrath of an ancient kingdom. He doesn’t even think there is hope. How could there be, when no one has tried to change in over five hundred years.

That is, until a stranger walks into his reclusive village, nestled away beneath the Brayan Mountain on the edges of the Wild Ranges and declares him the last scribe. In one simple act, everything he thought he knew about himself is torn up and destroyed. He doesn’t even know what it means to be a scribe, and the one who is supposed to help him, the  Unseen, who built and upheld his kingdom in the days of glory, never speaks.

The thing is, he doesn’t really care. Love is forgotten, peace foreign, and safety unheard of. Now, bound by an oath to a dead man to never speak his true name, he travels in search of a hidden key and a lost king. Old songs sung by his long dead mother are the only thing that link him to a life that could be better, but they never hold the key to how it can come. Battered by his fear, shoved into an adventure he doesn’t want to take by a complete stranger, and carted over leagues and leagues of dangerous countryside with companions he can’t make sense of, he struggles to understand himself. He just wants an identity, a purpose, a reason to be. But he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t think he can. By nature, he is a hider, a runner. And he hates fire. And his real name isn’t Breem.

Mikailah: She is 17. All she wants is her brother, who fled from their childhood home without leaving a single clue to her about why he ran and when he would return. She has lived a life hidden away in the shadow of the Woodland of Eradrea, kept secret by a woman who claimed to keep her safe.  She is simple, but smart, and loves to talk…about everything and anything. 

(She has blonde hair, but this is what her jade green eyes look like...)

Kiar is 23, a knight of the Keltoi Brotherhood, and as strong and fierce as an Ice Tiger from the Esklanta tribes. He prefers to see the world as it could be, rather than as it is, has a great sense of humor, a sarcastic tongue, and loves trying Mikailah’s patience just for fun. Yet his sense of duty is strong and he is a great leader, able to speak to the heart and passion of a man quicker than an arrow can fly. He wants the kingdom to return to its former glory and joy and to bring love back into the land.

Mytharal: He’s 18 and the true king. He feels trapped. Trapped into being something he cannot control. Since the day he was born he has heard the words of the Unseen whispering in his ear, but he has learned to block them out. He wants to seek his own path, own future, own destiny. And he wants to do it his own way, no matter what the cost. 

Theron…a mixbreed, hated by all. He is 21, servant to the powerful Mayor of Hadria, and bound to live in exile if he makes one wrong move. No one trusts him. No one likes him. He is a poet want-to-be who creates poor rhymes and fights like a devil. He is misunderstood, but quick as a whip at understanding others. All he wants is to be accepted, no matter what, and to be trusted, just once, to be true to his word.

There is the main cast for The Last Scribe!!!!

And now, for In the Shadow... 

The two main characters:

Merrie: a slave, 15, tender, soft, and easygoing. Hair as black as the midnight sky, eyes smoky grey, and skin tinged with olive proclaim her mingled Greek and Hebrew ancestry. She hides what is inside her, the nightmares that plague her, the dread of being forgotten or doubted, memories of her old life. She prefers to love others than judge them. All she wants is safety and peace, to live life as simply as possible.  Yet a streak of courage lies in her heart and the boldness to do what she must rises up when the things she loves are threatened.

 

 

 

 

Ionez is a Briton, heartlessly captured in the heart of her own Britannica, and carted off to Rome. At 17, she is nothing but passion. And hatred. Of the Romans who enslaved her, the gods who betrayed her, and even of life. She wants just one thing. To be free. Nothing will stand in her way, not mountains and seas and men of iron. She is committed to returning home. Recklessness and vibrancy flows in her veins, so that she is heedless of the way things ought to be. She brazenly defies the Romans, revolutionary, hotheaded. But her own face stands against her. She is stunning. Dazzlingly so, to the point that no Roman can bear to kill her, or release her. So they fight her, every step of the way.

Merrie’s world: the Antistius  Household.

Senator Antistius: cruel, destructive, ruthless. His mind is set on one thing. Gaining the Emperor’s favor. He cares nothing for others, lives only for the distorted pleasures life offers, and has a mind as warped as soaked parchment. 



Claudia Antistius is selfish, proud, and treacherous, the proper daughter of her father. Even though only 15, her mind works like a machine, plotting, shrewd, and manipulative. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Only guilt lays a heavy hand on her, tearing up her soul and never letting her enjoy her victories.

Publius Antistius: Claudia’s twin, careless, easily bought, and weak-spirited.

Messalina Antistius, Merrie’s mistress, simpleminded, no identity, and 17. She has lived in her younger sister’s shadow for as long as she can remember and she hates it. She is sweet, gentle, and easygoing in a household where those traits are not appreciated, except by Merrie, who nurtured those characteristics herself. For years, that is good enough for Messalina, until she believes even Merrie has let her down. Change is the only thing that she know thinks can build her strong.

Cyrus: Merrie’s best friend, a firebrand, dark, brooding, and desperate. Yet he has a soft spot for Merrie, who once saved his life, and gave his word to never run from Antistius. He’s a whiz with horses, surly on the outside, sarcastic, and a good guesser. He’s 18, a shock of uneven dark brown hair and flashing eyes that take in everything. 

 

Tertia also belongs to Messalina, is 14, and confused and frightened by many things. She clings to Merrie like a child, treats the older girl as though she were a sage, and asks more questions than can be answered. She likes to have fun and is sensitive.

Julia: black-eyed, callous, ambiguous, sinister, and slave to Claudia. She drives her words like a dagger to the heart and can invoke more anger in Merrie than any other human alive…and she knows it. She hates Merrie, how sweet and kind she is and how everyone loves her. She hates how much Messalina and Merrie enjoy each other when she is abandoned to a mistress of spite. Her agenda is entirely her own, a mystery that many want to solve. And she is plotting something ominous, ruinous, designed to bring Merrie down.

Ionez’s world: the Icilius Household.

Marcellus Icilius is dangerous. He is not afraid to destroy what stands in his way. Nothing can stop him when he sets his mind and ambition seeps from his pores. He enjoys a good battle of wits, using his mind to devise schemes, and outmaneuvering those opposed to him. Devilishly handsome, full of himself, and on top of his game, he wants nothing more than to own the world – and win the heart of one wild maiden. But to gain one, he must give up the other. 

Aelia Icilius, at 16, is outwardly arrogant, but uncertain of herself. The daughter of an Ex-consul and sister to a man who can control his own enemies, her life is one of ease and passing fancies. She just wants to be taken seriously, loved, and make her new slave obey her.

Minna: quiet, oh so quiet, a mere slip of a girl, only 14 years old, and a slave from Arabia. But her loyalties run deep, she is not afraid to defend her friends, and she holds a noble sense of honor in her heart.

Gnaeus hates Britons. After his father was brutally killed in Britannica and caused his family to be sold as slaves, he wants to see every one of them dead and buried. His threats are not idle.

Cleopas is Marcellus’s slave, another Briton, whom he brought with him from the island when he fought in the war. He is strong, single-minded, and accepting of his fate as a slave.

Octavia Icilius, young wife of the Ex-consul. She is jealous of Aelia, beautiful and cherished daughter of her husband, and wants nothing more than to usurp that love and hold it herself. Even if it means Aelia’s death, she is committed to finding the key to turning her husband against his daughter. And Aelia’s new unruly slave seems the perfect ally.

 

Well, there you have it. This is just the cast of characters for the first book, for there are many more that enter in the second and third books, but I don’t want to bore you with them all now… As it is, this is a load full.

 

I will say it now, I hated doing that. Each person felt so flat and lifeless, as though they were nothing more than glass. But I wanted to attempt it, so there you have it... ;)

Who are your characters? What are their wants, passions, quirks, or feelings? How do they fit into your story, with each other, with their world? Share with the rest of us and join the linkup!

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