The peace that formerly reigned in Terra Nova has eroded, now little more than a memory. War ravages the continent. Disputes divide kingdoms; ideals divide families. The quest for power consumes absolutely and indiscriminately. None are immune to its allure.
Who will rise and who will fall? Only time—and ambition—will tell.
UPDATES
05.26.2023
2 month character creation hold for all existing members begins 6/5/2023. Ended 8/5/2023.
10.29.2023
Change in how times flows. Was 4 IC seasons, now only 2 IC seasons per 1 OOC year.
5 whole years of Heir Apparent goodness! When I started the site, I knew I was hunkering down for the long haul, but I never could have predicted the numerous twists and turns this roleplay site has seen. Hundreds of plots, characters, and members have come and gone, all leaving marks on the site. I am so very thankful for those who have invested. Because you keep coming back, keep getting on, and keep writing, Heir Apparent has the legacy it does today. Three cheers to us!
Whatever kept the hellhound fire alive required a lot of fuel to burn. The wanting, needing never stopped—food being only one of the things that satisfied her constant craving. Food, however, was the most readily available thing on the menu, so down to the kitchens she went.
There was no time for dawdling. The king was soon to return to Lorendale, having sent Alys and Grant wherever it was they were going. It wasn’t Regan’s to know, and right now she didn’t care. Perhaps she’d contemplate a list of possible missions later, but for now, all that mattered was that Grant had looked away.
Six years in together—first stationed in Lorendale, then training in Nevermere. Six years that Regan had spent intermittently pining away for the hardheaded, big-as-a-house Delaney who had never once left her side. Until now. The rational side of her brain told her it had everything to do with her mistake that had torn their partnership asunder. But the irrational side, and at this time the more vocal side, told her it was another Delaney rejection. Another scandalous affair with someone above her station, in which the nobleman involved had found her wanting.
So, to avoid the painful sting of low-grade heartbreak, Regan decided it was easier to hate Grant at the moment. Hating Grant was easier than wanting him, and certainly easier than worrying about just where it was he was off to.
Regan rounded the corner, stalking to the end of the hall where the stairs were that descended to the kitchens.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Aug 15, 2022 13:13:14 GMT -5
"Regan!" Octavius' voice could be loud when he wanted it to be, and right now it was raised unnecessarily so. "Wait!" He hadn't seen the soldier for a few days, not since the infirmary, but in that time he'd found out some things that he couldn't lay to rest. Not until he had confronted her.
His shift for the day would start soon, so he only had minutes to grab before he'd need to report to a tower in the castle. He'd been headed there when he'd seen that familiar crop of dark hair.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Aug 16, 2022 20:35:58 GMT -5
Regan immediately recognized the voice. She turned in its direction, and as expected, Octavius was bounding down the hall towards her. Her general amusement with Octavius wasn’t enough to break through the cloud of hunger and wounded pride that snuffed out any joy. Regan managed a lukewarm smile that looked more like a pained grimace than anything.
“Well, well, look who it is,” Regan kept the smile going, adding teeth to make it more convincing, “Walk with me, soldier. I don’t have a lot of time.” Regan gestured for him to follow and would start off, whether he came with her or not.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 2, 2022 13:20:51 GMT -5
Octavius knew a fake smile when he saw it, but he didn't question it. He wasn't so insecure as to assume it was about him. He'd heard the rumors that she was a royal guard now, and surely the job carried a lot of stress with it. If she failed, it could mean the end of Nevermere as they knew it. He didn't envy her.
"I don't have a lot of time either." He agree as he fell into step beside her. But before launching into what he wanted to talk about--"Where are you headed to?"
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 7, 2022 20:17:13 GMT -5
"Kitchen. They let me eat occasionally. Unfortunately, I don't get that bedside service anymore." Regan looked at Octavius with a playful smirk as she shuffled along. Was that the last time she saw him? It already felt so long ago.
"What about you?" She asked, starting down the staircase, "Where do they have you rushing off to?"
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 14, 2022 14:18:59 GMT -5
Octavius gave a shallow, sloppy bow as she mentioned his bedside service. He was glad no one was around to overhear their conversation, or they might have gotten the wrong idea.
"I have a shift. In the towers. Peering out over Skia and beyond. You know, real important stuff." He said it almost sincerely, but the sarcasm was there and surely she'd hear it. Nevermere had never been attacked, but still they posted soldiers as if a threat was always lurking. Perhaps it was prepared, but Octavius couldn't help but feel like it was paranoid.
Now he decided to go where he wanted to take this.
"I've been training a lot with my new partner." Something in his tone was both careful and curious, like he was setting down a piece of crumb to see if she might snatch it up.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:34:00 GMT -5
Regan had never learned to watch her words. After all, Logan and Regan’s brief attachment had, in hindsight, been glaringly obvious, and yet not even her partner—his nephew— had connected the dots. Because as Grant had just demonstrated at their farewell, nobody looked at her and assumed she was an object of desire. Which was just fine, she decided. There were murderers to hunt and a king to protect.
“You have the thanks of a grateful kingdom,” Regan chuckled—a laugh that immediately died at the mention of Octavius’s partner.
“Oh, yeah? Did she manage to win you over?” Regan’s tone was as neutral as it could be, considering she’d walked into this conversation hungry and scorned. There was still an edge to it, one that could be attributed to any number of things.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 19, 2022 13:35:00 GMT -5
Octavius, typically not too easily riled, rose to meet her edge with his own, his blade forged by justice and his hilt gripped by loyalty.
“No winning necessary,” His tone attempted to match hers in neutrality but came out defensive, “Kat is easy to like and worthy of trust.” He kept his eyes fixed ahead and his voice lowered,
“But apparently you aren’t…?” It was an accusation to be sure, but laced with a question. With a desire for what he said to not be true. He believed the best about people. Perhaps Kat was mistaken. Perhaps Regan had a valid excuse. He desperately wanted to hear it. He hoped she took his bait.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:35:10 GMT -5
Regan had enough of rejection for one day. Octavius’s defensiveness, his obvious agenda, could all be stomached, but the accusation itself dug the knife in a wound that was already bleeding. Likeable and worthy: two identifiers Regan had tried time and again to claim for herself, and time and again had failed to attain. She huffed through her nose, looking at Octavius through a veil of anger to conceal the existing hurt that lay beneath.
“And what makes you say that?” Regan already knew what, and her tone said as much, but she wanted to hear Octavius say it.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 19, 2022 13:35:26 GMT -5
Octavius saw the anger there. It wasn't enough to make her hit him or walk away, which he was glad for. He would have taken the hit and followed, surely, because he wanted to get to the bottom of this. He wanted to be Regan's friend, but how could he do that and also be Kat's partner?
"Regan." Octavius said her name like it was a plea. A plea for the truth. For transparency. "Kat told me about you and Fabian." He shook his head as he said it, having left the defensiveness behind for earnest confusion and insistence. Say it wasn't so, Regan. Just say it and he'd believe her.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:35:41 GMT -5
“Oh yeah? What parts did she leave out?” Regan stopped in the bend of the stairwell, turning on Octavius, wearing all the hurt and frustration Grant had left her with on her face.
“Did she mention that she was there the first time Fabian came on to me? That she laughed at how embarrassed I was, that I was the joke—not him?” Regan was gathering steam now, finding a convenient outlet for her ambient outrage, “Did she tell you that it was Fabian that kissed me, and when he wanted more, I’m the one who said no?” Regan was seething, Grant’s turned face and indifferent expression still burning brightly in her mind’s eye.
"I'll bet she didn't," Regan finished bitterly, "From where she sits, I'll bet I'm a convenient villain."
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 19, 2022 13:35:50 GMT -5
Octavius stopped when Regan did, girding his loins for what was about to happen. He had sisters. He well knew the cadence of the female sex and how it differed from men. When she rounded on him, he had expected anger. And it was there. What surprised him and immediately convicted him was the hurt. He had hurt her. His eyes grew wide and his mouth softened.
He didn’t interrupt. She said everything, and Octavius was full of confusion and sorrow and regret. It was written all over his face.
“Regan.” Her name again, again a plea, only this time for forgiveness rather than the truth. He believed her. He believed them both. Their stories didn’t have to contradict.
“I’m…” he lifted his hands to his face, covered it for a beat, then pushed them back through his hair, “mortified. Please,” he pressed his palms together, “please forgive me. I shouldn’t have… I’m an ass.”
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:36:11 GMT -5
Regan’s anger met no resistance. Without a force to oppose it, her ire collapsed like a house of cards. Tears started to well in her eyes that she quickly blinked back into obscurity. This wasn’t about Kat. Or Fabian. Or Octavius. This was about Grant. Grant was gone, she was hungry, and more than anything wanted to burst into a ball of flames.
“No—it’s,” Regan cleared her throat, “It’s fine. It’s just…I’m not…” Feeling the red rising in her face, she looked down and shook her head with a chuckle, “It’s just all so…fucked.”
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Sept 19, 2022 13:36:20 GMT -5
Octavius saw what was welling in her eyes and did her the respect of looking away. If she had been his sister he might have given her a hug or something, but she was a soldier. He was sure she wanted to maintain her dignity and sense of strength. When she spoke, however, his gaze eagerly returned to her face.
“It’s not fine. I made assumptions, and that was hurtful. I wasn’t being a good friend. And I’m sure Kat would kill me if she found out I said anything.” He sighed, totally unaware of the inner battle she was waging about an entirely different man.
“Listen, I think you two should talk. Clear the air. Try to reconcile.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if his two cents wasn’t worth much but there it was.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:36:44 GMT -5
Regan snorted with a single laugh. When she looked back up at Octavius, she was grinning, a little embarrassed and a whole lot relieved.
“I dunno,” Regan shrugged and started walking again, indicating for Octavius to follow. “Every time I’ve seen her or Fabian since…I’ve just made things worse. Probably easier for everyone if I just stay out of it.”