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!
Post by Hadrian Usher on Sept 10, 2022 18:11:18 GMT -5
Laughter did not spring to Hadrian’s lips as easily as it did to Kennet's. For several moments he watched her in stunned fear, waiting for her cast him aside or go jump out the window herself. But she didn’t, and eventually, the musical sound of Kennet’s laughter broke down his frozen muscles and made a wheezy chuckle rise in his chest.
“I’ve battled Coheedsman on the high seas and lived to tell the tale,” Hadrian said with a grin and strained confidence, “Surely I can handle Brenna Delaney.”
Goddesses, she was beautiful like this. Undone, with laughter in her eyes and a wild smile on her lips. He captured her face in his hands and kissed her before rolling off the bed.
“Well,” Hadrian said, “I suppose we shouldn’t keep our executioner waiting.” He grabbed a boot and pulled it on, all the while keeping his eyes on Kennet.
Post by Kennet Caern on Sept 18, 2022 20:20:53 GMT -5
Her bare shoulders shook over the pillow she held to her chest, trembling with laughter because the alternative was so impossibly overwhelming Kennet dismissed it entirely. What else was there to do now but laugh? Hadrian took her face in his hand, making it easier to release the breath she was holding.
“We could,” she remarked, lips still tingling with his kiss while the bed beside her rebounded and Hadrian reached for his boot. Whether the flush in her cheeks was the result of her laughter or the fact that she could still feel the ghost of his hand on her thigh was irrelevant. Her eyes met his all the same, dancing with the remnants of her laughter and the sudden realization of just how reckless they had been. “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
The smile that split her lips belonged to him entirely.
It was almost exhilarating, the tremor of uncertainty that leapt from the tips of her toes to the base of her chest the moment her feet hit the ground. She left the pillow on the bed, letting the hem of her shift fall to her ankles before she made her way toward the wardrobe on the other side of the room. There was a dress in her hand in a matter of seconds, more than enough time to utter an idle tease with another wry grin, but the reality of their morning was just beginning to descend upon her. Her pulse raced with every passing step, and her voice—for once—seemed to have failed her entirely.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Sept 23, 2022 17:28:07 GMT -5
Hadrian laced up his boots with a flourish. The initial shock of the intrusion was fading, and the exuberant joy was bubbling up in his chest anew. Yes, he could handle Brenna Delaney. He was no stranger to her disdain, having spent most of his childhood and young adulthood getting Logan Delaney into trouble while she cast scathing looks in his direction. Formidable as she was, Hadrian Usher was a man of status and experience, a captain commander in service to his kingdom. More than that, he was a man in love, and there was no force on earth that could come between him and the object of his affection.
As put together as he could be, Hadrian stood at the ready. His eyes fell softly on Kennet. For a long moment, he just stood, gazing at her, before holding out his arm.
Post by Kennet Caern on Sept 25, 2022 11:04:48 GMT -5
Kennet could feel his eyes on her as she threaded her arms through the sleeves of her dress. It was a relatively simple thing compared to the other gowns contained within her wardrobe. More dress than gown, the robe was easily closed over her shift with a quick tie around her waist. Ignoring the allure of Hadrian’s gaze, Kennet busied herself with the knot, only lifting her eyes to meet his after she had slipped her feet into a pair of satin slippers.
While joy mounted in his chest, nerves rose within her own. Still, there was no quelling the smirk that tugged at the corners of her pale lips as she looked from the arm he offered to Hadrian himself. “If you think I am exiting this room with my hand on your arm,” she grinned, cheeks still flushed with the tumult of their morning, “I fear you are in for quite the disappointment. I think we’ve already fanned the flames of gossip enough for one day, don’t you?”
It was an almost pointless caution after everything that had transpired, but with the pale light of the morning came some semblance of reason, and Kennet was far too conditioned to her station to abandon that entirely now.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Sept 25, 2022 21:36:49 GMT -5
Hadrian grinned back. He had the distinct advantage of having been born a man, so was not as sensitive to avoiding scandal. If it meant bringing Kennet even a little bit closer, it was a risk he was, apparently, willing to take. But, Kennet was the voice of reason, the one that motivated him to drop his arm with a disappointed sigh that was not reflected in the brightness of his smile.
“If you insist,” Hadrian rumbled, opening the door and holding it for her, “After you, my lady.” He winked, impossibly and ceaselessly happy.
Post by Kennet Caern on Oct 1, 2022 10:36:09 GMT -5
There was a moment of pause in which she considered the inevitable state of her hair, but there was nothing to be done about that in the time they had. Brenna Delaney was not a woman known for her patience, after all, and Kennet was far too pragmatic to risk stoking her mother’s ire for the sake of an unkempt braid.
Her eye caught Hadrian’s wink as she made her way to the door. A wry, almost nervous smirk carried her the rest of the way, one Kennet did the best to smooth from her features before she opened the door and made her way into the hall. Meda was, as predicted, standing expectantly against the opposite wall with her hands clasped in front of a fastidiously laced bodice.
“Let me guess,” Kennet lifted her chin with a grin, shoulders straightening against the nerves mounting in her chest. “She’s in the library?”
It was quite possibly the reason Kennet detested libraries, apart from the fact that they were stuffy, dusty, and dreary. There was not a Delaney alive who didn’t shudder at the prospect of being summoned to the library by Brenna Delaney. Why her mother had chosen that particular room for her seat of power, Kennet neither knew nor cared. It was, simply, a fact of her existence, a reality so ingrained it was not worth questioning.
“The morning room, actually.” Kennet was convinced the old woman looked a touched pleased with herself as she uttered her correction, dipping in a quick curtsy as they passed. “My lady.” Her gaze shifted to Hadrian with a stern look. “My lord.”
“I suppose that’s something,” Kennet remarked, gliding past Meda on the sheer merit of muscle memory alone. “At least we’ll have a final meal,” she whispered, grinning as they rounded the corner and she uttered what was to be her final tease before they were standing face to face with her mother and the judgment she wrought like an anvil.
It was not a long walk from the family wing to the morning room, but it was long enough for the nerves mounting in her chest to seep into her bones. By the end of the second corridor, Kennet had fallen quiet, her gait quickening as they maneuvered the labyrinthine halls of the Hollow. They reached the morning room without much fuss. Servants quietly ducked their heads as they passed, those Kennet knew by name grinned and a few offered their good mornings.
She had almost convinced herself that this was any other morning at the Hollow, that Mason would already be at the breakfast table when they arrived, his booming voice echoing off the walls as he cut into a grapefruit and her mother grinned at him from behind a glass of freshly squeezed juice. But Mason Delaney was nowhere to be found as they entered the small morning room. Sun flooded the room, pouring in from three stone casements on adjoining walls, bathing her mother in a pale golden light that made the streaks of grey in her hair look almost gold.
“Hadrian,” Brenna called from her seat adjacent to the head of the table, looking past her daughter as she entered to the man behind her. “How good of you to join us.” A note of irony edged her voice as she opened a hand to the opposite side of the table. “By all means, do make yourself at home.” Fruit and pastries lined the table, along with an assortment of carafes filled with a mixture of wine, water, and juice.
Last Edit: Oct 1, 2022 10:36:27 GMT -5 by Kennet Caern
Post by Hadrian Usher on Oct 1, 2022 17:40:34 GMT -5
Hadrian’s eyes only left Kennet only when it was necessary to his navigation of the corridors. Whether as a product of his own ego or as a trick to avoid the horror and embarrassment of Meda’s discovery, Hadrian had decided this was all a amusing misunderstanding. Surely, he thought, surely once Brenna understood there was reason to share in their joy this small indiscretion would be forgotten. After all, what was a little harmless fondling between a man and his bride-to-be?
Yes, if Hadrian had put his mind to it, he’d come to the conclusion that Brenna Delaney would not see it that way, but he’d chosen bliss over rational thought. Love over shame.
Hadrian took one last lingering look at Kennet before they entered the dining room and his gaze fell on Brenna. She had mastered the art of being both easy on the eyes and frightening to behold. The self-assured grin Hadrian had worn their entire journey started to wilt at the edges in the hash light of Brenna’s gaze. He coughed, dipping his head and smiling pleasantly,
“Thank you, my lady,” Hadrian said affably, “You are too kind.” He strode to the table as if they were nothing out of the ordinary. He went to the chair next to the one Brenna had indicated to and pulled it out. He looked to Kennet, eyes sparkling, waiting for her to take a seat before he took his own.
Post by Kennet Caern on Oct 1, 2022 17:44:54 GMT -5
Brenna caught his smile with one of her own, a thin, almost visceral line drawn across her pale visage. “Not at all,” she protested, batting away the thought with an idle flick of her wrist. “We are family now, lest you forget.” Kings had sent men to their death with less reprobation than Brenna managed with a saccharine smile and a steaming cup of tea.
Across from her, Kennet slipped into the chair Hadrian offered, casting him an appreciative look before casting a flatter one in her mother’s direction. “Mama.” Reaching for a polished silver spoon, she ladled a small heaping of fruit from an ornate bowl onto the plate in front of her. Whatever rescue Kennet might have intended was interrupted the moment Hadrian’s backside grazed his chair.
“I heard you rather enjoyed the evening,” Brenna remarked. It was a blithe observation that concluded in a scathing look, one that slipped from Kennet to Hadrian as her voice lowered and her point narrowed. “And our hospitality.”
Post by Hadrian Usher on Oct 1, 2022 17:46:26 GMT -5
Hadrian reached for the carafe of wine, casually pouring himself a glass for strength as Kennet spooned fruit into her bowl. He took a quick sip before helping himself to breakfast. Hadrian coughed again, his smile holding out but his confidence shaking with every dagger thrown from Brenna’s eyes.
“Yes, well,” Hadrian said with a momentary smirk he tried his best to conceal, “As you said, we are family now. And what could be better than spending time with those dear to you?” He looked at Kennet, gaze lingering a little longer than it should before he cleared his throat and took another sip of wine.
Post by Kennet Caern on Oct 1, 2022 17:48:21 GMT -5
Kennet caught his gaze out of the corner of her eye, and for a moment, her heart tripped over itself all over again. The look was not missed from Brenna’s vantage across the table, nor was the nervous smile Kennet rushed to bury behind a forkful of fruit.
“Ah yes,” Brenna mused, returning her cup of tea to the saucer beside her glass of juice, “you and our young Lady Baille seemed quite taken with one another. I must say, I was rather surprised, but then age does have a way of rearranging our priorities, does it not?”
At his side, Kennet’s hand nearly faltered as she reached for the carafe of wine. “It’s a bit early for gossip don’t you think, Mama?” Retrieving the carafe, Kennet filled her glass while her shoulders straightened and her gaze cut with a meaningful look across the table.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Oct 1, 2022 17:49:10 GMT -5
Hadrian was no young recruit. It had been a long time since he’d received the kind of dressing-down Brenna seemed intent on delivering. Brenna was unknowingly treading on his happiness, and he wouldn’t have it. Not to mention there was a hangover stewing in his head. Hadrian’s temper sprung to his defense, requiring him to once again sip his wine while he softened the sharp retort that rose to his tongue.
“Lady Baille is quite taken with any man that spins her across the dance floor,” Hadrian settled on with a pleasant smile, “but you are mistaken that the sentiment is returned.” He took a bite of danish, brushing the falling crumbs from his jacket.
“But you are right about one thing,” Hadrian said with a casual air, “My priorities have been doing some rearranging as of late. Seeing one’s daughter marry has a way of putting things in perspective. For that’s all we want, isn’t it? Happiness for our children.” Hadrian had not developed the same healthy fear of Brenna as Kennet had—though perhaps he ought to of.
Post by Kennet Caern on Oct 1, 2022 17:49:24 GMT -5
A knowing, judgmental hum vibrated across Brenna’s pursed lips. For a moment, the woman looked poised to retaliate. Instead, she lifted her steaming cup from its saucer once more for a slow sip from its rim. “Your girl will be happy enough with my nephew, I’m sure.” While she had never put a great deal of stock in her brother’s children, there was something to be said for the lad Keir. The Usher name was on the rise, after all, what with Hadrian’s ascension to the commander’s seat—
That thought was enough to leave a sour taste in her mouth. Brenna washed it down with another sip of tea before returning the dainty cup to its saucer and lifting a flat look to the pair seated across from her.
“And how is it, Lord Usher, your priorities have been rearranged in the wake of one, simple wedding?” There was a goodly lilt to her voice, an almost affable quality that might even have been believable were it not for the sharp of her look from across the table. “If that is all it takes—” Brenna turned a knowing grin to where Kennet straightened irritably at Hadrian’s side—“perhaps we shall find it in ourselves to try again sometime.”
Returning her mother’s look with one of her own, the Delaney women waged a silent war that lasted all of a few seconds before Brenna skewered a piece of melon on the end of her fork by way of signaling a reprieve. It had taken years but Kennet had learned to choose her battles where her mother was concerned and, if her silent war was any indication, she was still evaluating whether this was the moment she intended to choose for their next fray.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Oct 1, 2022 17:49:51 GMT -5
“One can become very attached to the status quo, no matter how much they desire to change it,” Hadrian countered with the same pleasant cadence Brenna maintained despite her cutting gaze, “But to take a leap of faith, sometimes you just need a little push.” His eyes turned to Kennet, a gentle, confident smile on his lips before he returned his attention to the Delaney who was waging an invisible war with her daughter. Hadrian took another drink from his cup, gathering confidence before deciding to clear the air between them.
“Brenna,” He started with the utmost sincerity, “We’re not strangers, you and I. Though my intentions may have suffered in execution, I’ve always sought to do right by those I care for.” Hadrian paused, assessing Brenna Delaney while considering how much he valued his life before he opted for military directness.
“Kennet is such a one. I’ve asked her to marry me, and I hope we’ll have your blessing.”
Post by Kennet Caern on Oct 1, 2022 17:50:09 GMT -5
The “hah!” Brenna tossed across the table on a cavalier laugh said everything she intended to say on the matter of status and its rarely shifting tides. She was, after all, a woman moored to an ever-drowning dock, painfully aware of the fact that time and circumstance would make a relic out of her yet. That did not mean she intended to stand by and watch her daughters repeat the same mistakes she had with the hope that the tides that came for their shores would be kinder than the ones that had swallowed hers.
Across the table, Kennet caught Hadrian’s look while the breath caught in her chest and she very nearly interjected, racing to the ledge and throwing her arms out in front of them both before he could say something he didn’t mean. Something born of too much drink and five long years of imagining a woman she could never so much as hope to become. But Hadrian beat her to the cliff and, with a look, he carried them both over the edge.
While Kennet fell, heart racing and green eyes leaping to meet her mother’s, Brenna sat with her back as a straight as a freshly forged sword. Of all the myriad of excuses and explanations she had expected to fall out of Hadrian Usher’s mouth, a proposal of marriage was not one of them, and Brenna was a woman neither accustomed to nor fond of being surprised. Her first attempt at a response began with a long breath and an open mouth and ended with her lips pursed in a long line.
“This is what—” Kennet seized her opportunity a moment too late. Brenna found her voice and severed Kennet’s with a quick look.
“If this has anything to do with the gardens last night or your room this morning,” and, like a freshly forged sword, her voice cut across the table with a scathing edge, “there are far easier ways to mend lapsed senses.”
“This isn’t a lapse, mama.” Kennet lifted her chin, steeling herself for the look she expected from across the table and finding herself altogether surprised by the one she received instead. Brenna watched her, grey eyes clouding with concern before they seized on Hadrian once more.
“You are old enough to be her father.” It wasn’t the argument Brenna intended to make, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last one she voiced, but it was the one that fell out first and, given the circumstances, would simply have to suffice.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Oct 1, 2022 17:50:40 GMT -5
"There are far easier ways to mend lapsed senses.”
Hadrian shifted in his chair, bristling at the remark. As if Kennet was a mistake—a temptation to be indulged in then forgotten. There was no forgetting her, for he had tried. Goddesses, how he’d tried, every time he’d crawled into the bed of a lonely sailor’s wife or worked himself to exhaustion in the training yard. If his senses had left him, Hadrian was certain they were far, far beyond retrieval. Kennet, mercifully, stepped in before Hadrian could mount his argument. Instead, he was presented with a concern that made him chuckle. He was still riding the high of his victory, and he refused to let Brenna steal it from him.
“They haven’t begun kindling my pyre just yet,” Hadrian said with a lopsided grin as he sat back in his chair, “Besides when it comes to love, it seems more of a technicality than something prohibitive.”