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!
It had been a little while since he had spoken with Scout. That wasn't a good or bad sign. At least that's what he was figuring. Maybe it was because nothing was wrong. Or maybe it was because she had locked herself away in her room. Either way he didn't think that it would be a good idea to ignore it for too long. So he wrote that he'd be coming by to Birkhall on his day off. Friends didn't give up on friends even when they made dumb choices.
He still wasn't sold on this whole get married to fix all their problems thing. Especially since rumors hadn't died down. Apparently there was nothing better for people in Lorendale to talk about. Which was rather unfortunate, and he'd wondered if making something up would be a good idea. But he just didn't have it in him, despite how it might have helped.
So he walked up, and waited to be either shown away or to where Scout wanted to see him. Or maybe she was out working, and nothing would be wrong. Wouldn't that be a grand thing.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
She was still holed up in her room in Birkhall, trying to avoid seeing too many people although she'd always make an exception for her dear friend Astor. She was relieved when he sent her a letter saying he'd be visiting. The woman had slept in that day and was awoken by a servant knocking on her door.
The servant had moments earlier opened the front door to find Astor standing there. She had failed to inform the servants that Astor would be stopping by, but luckily they knew they could always let him in. "Lady Kane is in her room, please follow me", she servant had told her friend before heading upstairs to the room Scout was staying in.
When she heard the knock, she had gotten out of bed in a long nightgown and with messy hair. She didn't mind seeing Astor like this, but it would probably immediately prove to him that something was in fact wrong. It wouldn't be hard to know what was wrong. Scout opened the door and saw the servant and the legionnaire standing in front of it. "Thank you", she said to the servant. The man turned around and went back to his chores while the Lady Steward put on a weak smile for her friend. "Come in." She waited for Astor to enter before she'd close the door. Then she'd sit back down on her bed.
Nodding as the servant greeted him, Astor followed, already getting a bit nervous. She wasn't too busy. Scout was just in her room. But he was still pulling at straws as they walked. Maybe she was just happy and had too much to drink in celebration. Or maybe she'd had an exhausting day yesterday.
When the door opened and he saw her though, Astor knew. Scout, while never one to dress up unnecessarily, was in a state that he hadn't seen her in for a long time. There were no pants, sly smile, and her hair was more than wild. Stepping into the room and waiting for the door to close behind him he watched her.
Not exactly sure what to do he looked down at his boots before looking back up. "So. That's that huh?"
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
There was a silence between them when Scout told him to come in. Words weren't necessary to understand what was going on but once Astor was inside and the door was closed behind him, the man asked the question that would make it official. She nodded slightly, staring off into the distance, at the wall, or whatever her face was turned towards. There was no point in pretending like this news was anything other than bad news. "Yes", she said eventually without looking up at Astor. "I haven't told anyone yet."
She wasn't sure what she'd do now. Hiding the pregnancy was possible for a while but she would have to come up with an explanation eventually. "Last time we spoke, he asked if it was possible to end the pregnancy, if I were to get pregnant." Her blue eyes focussed on her friend. "But I can't do that. I could die. And so will the baby." She lowered her voice while saying those words and sighed deeply.
Astor knew two things. One, that this was just about the worst outcome for Scout. And second was that she already knew that and just needed a friend. So he slowly walked over, wrapping her up in a tight hug. He'd always loved when his mother did that when he was hurt or sad. Sometimes there was nothing better than a hug and a shoulder to cry on.
"He actually asked you to do that? Boy I'm glad I didn't know that earlier." He had already been angry enough and the man practically saying she was better off dead than pregnant would have been just enough. "We'll figure this out, you'll have a beautiful baby. Make your own happy ending."
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
She was thankful for the hug. Nothing compared to a hug when you felt sad. The warmth and the presence of someone who truly cared about you made you forget about all the hurt for just a moment. Whenever Scout received a hug when she was upset, it always made her feel sleepy and relaxed, because her body knew it was now safe with someone who'd watch over her. She put her arms around his waist and sighed against his shoulder.
"He asked if it was an option, yes", she replied. "What do you mean you're glad you didn't know that earlier? Did you see him?" Scout didn't know that Astor had seen Dresden in the meanwhile and she was a little scared of what had went down between them. She knew Astor was mad at his (former?) friend for what had happened between Scout and him.
She tried to smile when he said she'd have a beautiful baby. "I'm not sure how I can have a happy ending unless we go through with my ridiculous idea", she told him softly, referring to pretending like the baby was theirs.
Squeezing Scout tight, the brunette wanted to make sure she knew she had him there. And considering she returned the gesture it seemed to have hit home. And considering he was the first person she told, he just hoped that everyone else was going to be just as supportive.
"We talked." Leaving it vague on purpose, because honestly, it wasn't anything interesting. "Promise I didn't permanently injure anyone." Astor wasn't sure if Dresden was ever actually his friend. But he also would probably fall for the same tricks over and over, that's just the person that he was.
Astor took a breath and looked down at Scout with a smile. "I'm here for you Scout, so if that's what you want, I'll help you figure that out." Because as usual, Astor wanted to make his friends happy, and honestly, he didn't much care how it affected his own life. In this case though it was probably not the worst idea for him.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Once they had let go of each other, Scout held on to Astor's hand. She needed his support now and she was afraid that she'd cry if she wasn't able to hold his hand. It was difficult for her to think straight. On one hand she felt like she wanted to cry, but on the other hand she felt numb. In all honesty, she had no idea how she should feel. It was very chaotic in her head.
Astor didn't really answer the question, but his vague reply was all she needed. Knowing what they had talked about exactly would only make her feel more anxious, so the affirmation that no one had gotten permanently injured was enough to ease her mind. She was more worried about Astor anyway right now. Dresden and her had agreed that it was best to stay away from each other, and it had caused Scout to detach herself emotionally from the situation. The biggest worry she carried with her was that eventually Dresden would decide to tell people the truth instead of the lie they had come up with together.
She hadn't expected Astor to smile when she mentioned her plan. "It'd definitely help, but I don't want to force you to do something like that. Like you said, we'd probably have to get married and I'm not sure how you feel about that." He'd probably be able to move out of his father's home, and his father would stop trying to set him up with potential suitors. She didn't know the man well enough to draw any conclusions, but perhaps he'd be satisfied with his son marrying a Kane. Her own family would probably have their concerns, knowing the Porter's reputation, but they also knew Astor and her had been friends for many years.
Astor wasn't sure if the smile on his face was more out of nerves, an attempt to make them both feel better, or something else entirely. Smiling tended to be his natural state, despite this situation not making it extremely appropriate. Well maybe it did. "It's a weird thought you know."
Laughing he looked at their hands, not really sure if it fit with his plan for his life. Getting married and falling in love, but marrying your best friend? That was probably a better plan than waiting for someone that might not exist. Love was a fickle thing so there was no point in waiting around for it.
"Marrying someone I've been friends with for... How long now?" Astor looked at Scout, not sure if she felt just as werid about the possibility as he did. Weird but not awful.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Post by Scout Kane on Oct 11, 2022 13:04:29 GMT -5
It was indeed a weird thought, but at the some time it didn't feel that weird at all. She was almost thirty now and still hadn't met someone to spend the rest of her life with. She had known Astor for a long time now and there were a lot of loveless marriages. Marrying your best friend didn't sound that bad at all then. And didn't those people always say love grew over time? There was definitely platonic love between the two of them. Perhaps it would ever become romantic, but that wasn't something she was thinking about at all at that moment. For now all she was thinking about was how generous it was of Astor to want to marry her to save her ass.
She had to think and then softly shook her head. "I don't even know, it feels like I've known you forever." She looked up at him. "Are you sure though? Because if you are... We might need to start talking to family members." Just like him, she felt like it was weird but not awful. If they ever ended up finding someone they loved, they'd figure it out then and there.
While it was a weird thought, it also wasn't entirely nuts. Well maybe it was but he had moved on from that the second he decided to support Scout. Friends were odd things to have. Maybe it was a good thing he only had a few or he'd be in far weirder situations.
Astor nodded, but one thing was holding him back. "You're sure you don't want to give it a try with Dresden, right?" Because he could handle a platonic marriage, but not when it was one that Scout didn't really want. Getting in the way of love was just about the last thing he planned to do. "Because if that's what you want, I'll support that too." Even if it meant helping her pick her status up off the ground.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
She shook her head, looking away for a moment. "There's no love there. Just stupid attraction that got me in a pickle." She looked back at her friend. "I care about him, but not enough to risk it all. I'd be much happier having you by my side." She didn't want to pick up her reputation, didn't want to get funny looks when she walked around with her child. Dresden deserved to be free too. They'd never be able to be a happy family when Scout looked at the kid with the idea that it was the reason her reputation had fallen to pieces.
She got up, looking the worst she had ever looked in her nightgown with her messy hair and stood in front of Astor. Then she got on one knee and held up an imaginary ring box. "Count Astor Porter, will you marry me?" she asked, a little goofy smile on her face. Could this be the moment that allowed Scout to return to her good old self? Cracking jokes and acting dumb?
Last Edit: Oct 13, 2022 3:35:49 GMT -5 by Scout Kane
"And you understand that this kid can't ever know. Dresden can't be part of his or your life after this if we do this." For so, so many reasons, his murderous family chief among them. Dresden being another, because if he was going to really do this, it was going to be all in.
Laughing Astor held out his hand to pull Scout back up to her feet. "You know that simply won't be enough for either of our families. Who's crazy family first?" Porter for the murder vibes and Kane for the absolute snobbery of it all. Or maybe they'd both be happy, or maybe pigs would fly.
Ring of enchanted combat: ring that, when twisted around the finger three times, enhances one's combat abilities (the equivalent of ten additional combat points).
Post by Scout Kane on Oct 15, 2022 13:20:16 GMT -5
Scout nodded. "I'm aware of that. If I see him, I see him, but I won't go out of my way to look for him, and if our families agree to the marriage, I'll never tell the child who its real father is. As far as I'm concerned, you are the real father. I think you'll be better at it than Dresden ever could be."
She knew he was right when he pulled her back up. "You're right. I'll send word to my grandmother and Tybalt first thing tomorrow." She looked at Astor and sighed. "If this works out, you can get out of your father's home. We can live together somewhere without being disturbed by family."
Nodding his head, Astor thought they understood each other on this. He didn't think that total avoidance was plausible. But if he was going to get married he wasn't going to be a fool. He had that happen to him before, and he didn't like to be the fool for a woman, best friend or not.
"Tomorrow huh?" This was all happening. "I don't want to ask too much but is there anyway you could take my sister on as like a secretary or something? To get her out too?" It was the reason he stayed around the home. Despite that fact that he could, if he wanted to, fuck right out of Loren. Not anymore though, he was going to be a married man.