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!
Regan had been keeping her head down and eyes on the prize. Othello had proven to be a more pliable partner than expected. He seemed to want to please her and do well at the task he’d been given–well, they’d been given. Othello was rough around the edges, yes, but the same could be said for Regan. So, instead of meeting him with contempt, she rolled his eyes at his bawdy songs and smirked at his clumsy social missteps. At the end of the day, Othello was a willing and attentive student, and that’s all that mattered.
She’d resolved to not make herself a nuisance to Cassian–not until she had progress to show. But the itch to seek him out was powerful and constant. She was no longer at the king’s side—something that had proven to be a bigger adjustment than she would have thought. Alys’s return added a whole other layer of insecurity to her place in the world. Regan didn’t trust Alys, nor was she trusted by her. Maybe that would change over time, but for now, possessive insecurity nibbled at the edges of her mind.
So, when Regan was summoned by the king for a sparring match, she trotted off eagerly toward his study. Eyes lit with the excitement of a panting puppy, she knocked at the door, nose inches from the slab of wood that separated her from her alpha.
Last Edit: Dec 8, 2022 11:33:42 GMT -5 by Regan Lassiter
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Dec 8, 2022 11:33:21 GMT -5
Cassian sat at his desk panting, nose inches from the slab of wood that was his desk, the only thing separating him from collapsing onto the floor. The sickness in his body had progressed gradually, so much so that he hadn’t known it was upon him until it was too late. Or, maybe it wasn’t that it had been subtle, but perhaps he had been in denial. Lack of appetite was nothing new to him, but when had he last eaten anything? He drank wanted regularly, but it had started to taste of iron. He slept soundly through the night, which wasn’t like him, and found himself waking later and later. His muscles quivered at times. His body felt…weak. In the privacy of his room he had attempted to shift, but the start of the pain of such a thing had crippled him and cause him to pass out.
So, sparring made sense. It would remind him of his strength, his competence. This was a cold and nothing more…but even as he waited for Regan to arrive, he felt himself breaking down.
Cassian’s brow was wet with sweat. His breathing was labored. His vision barely focused. He didn’t even hear the knock.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Dec 8, 2022 11:33:57 GMT -5
Regan knocked again. Perhaps the knowledge of his station relative to here should have kept her on the other side of his door, but before long she knocked a third time and opened the door immediately after.
“Your majesty—“
Regan walked quickly forward, restraining herself from running but only just. She reached out her hand before halting it midair, brow furrowed so tight with concern it looked ready to wrinkle in on itself l.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Dec 8, 2022 11:34:14 GMT -5
Cassian’s ears felt full. There was noise, almost like the ocean when viewing it from a cavern, and yet it was oddly quietly.
When his door was opened abruptly his body reacted, shooting up to recover from his formerly unkingly state. The motion was too fast and blackness spread in his eyes. His upper body swayed as his eyes closed and a hand weakly raised to support his head.
“Regan?” She had likely never heard his voice this way. So weak. Relieved. Vulnerable. In fact, Cassian had never been this way—so sick.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Dec 8, 2022 11:34:25 GMT -5
As Cassian swayed, Regan stepped forward, ready to catch him. She’d never seen Cassian weak. All she’d ever glimpsed were chinks in his armor that betrayed his humanity. Never before had he seemed so mortal. Fear flickered behind her eyes like a sputtering candle as the wolf in her chest shifted nervously to see her alpha suffer.
But when Cassian’s eyes rose to find her, Regan masked her growing dread. It would do neither of them any good. Instead, she drew a strained smile under soft eyes, brow still knitted together with concern. She readily took his hand, the other one still hovering as if he might collapse at any moment.
“Why don’t you come sit?” Regan was not a sensitive creature by nature, but the woman before him now was gentle and genuine. If the king allowed it, Regan would start to lead him over to the sitting area by the fire.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Dec 8, 2022 11:34:45 GMT -5
Cassian’s grasp on her hand was tight, almost as if his body hung off the edge of a cliff and that hold alone kept him from falling to his death. He didn’t respond verbally, only physically, stumbling clumsily—but successfully, with her help—to wherever she decided to lead him.
“I can’t…” he breathed, losing all breath in his lungs, he took a long inhale that came up far shallower than he’d wanted it to before finishing, “be seen.”
Post by Regan Lassiter on Dec 8, 2022 11:34:56 GMT -5
Regan would guide Cassian to the couch and ease him down on it. Her fear grew with his every stumbling step, but again she did her best to keep it from her expression. He’d be alright, they’d be alright. People got sick all the time, right? Why should kings be in any different?
But Regan knew the answer, as did Cassian. It was different. Entirely different.
“I know,” Regan said, doing her best to sound reassuring. Once he was seated, she knelt before him and scanned him with a critical eye. Unless Cassian swatted her away, which she would resist, Regan would lay her hand against his forehead and press her fingers against his neck to take his pulse. Even against Regan’s warm hand, his skin burned and his heart raced.
“I’m no healer,” Regan joked uneasily, “But if I were I’d say you need some rest.” She dropped her hand, slipping it around his.
Last Edit: Dec 8, 2022 11:35:18 GMT -5 by Regan Lassiter
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Dec 8, 2022 11:35:11 GMT -5
Cassian didn’t resist her. He was a proud young man but he had learned when to resist and when to accept help—and from who. It was good it was Regan. He didn’t trust her ability to execute orders, but he trusted her on a personal level.
Cassian closed his eyes as her hand touched him. He knew he wasn’t doing so hot.
His response to her words, even the joke, was a dry swallow and a nod. No laugh. No smile. Just a proud man reluctantly yielding to his unfortunate reality.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Dec 8, 2022 11:35:28 GMT -5
Regan’s smile faded and her hold on Cassian’s hand tightened. She’d become attached to Cassian, each thread of connection adding to its strength: she was subject, guard, beta, and—though it may be too much to hope for—friend and companion, all tied up into one. Regan just gazed at him for a moment, deciding to focus on the practical elements of the matter at hand rather than the more complicated logistics of his illness. Cassian needed rest, and for that, he needed a bed.
“If I walk with you, can you make it upstairs?” Regan’s voice was still soft, but there was an insistence to her tone, one that she wouldn’t have used with Cassian under other circumstances. It was the insistence that was rooted in care, in affection—all things that would be evident in the way she looked at him now.
Last Edit: Jan 26, 2023 12:40:34 GMT -5 by Regan Lassiter
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Jan 30, 2023 12:50:13 GMT -5
Cassian might have seen the things, if his vision wasn’t blurring. Regan’s face was a wash of pale and brown, so it was her familiar voice that he clung to as his head swayed.
“Yes, but…” he lost what he was going to say for a moment, frowning, eyes jumping in search of his words. Then, “have them clear the path.” He didn’t need to be seen like this. Anyone in the halls between his office and his rooms would get the boot.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jan 30, 2023 12:50:21 GMT -5
“Yes, your majesty.” Regan had been a royal guard. They were entrusted with an intimate view of Cassian’s life that others weren’t. But they were the only ones that needed to know.
Regan squeezed his hand once before standing up and hurrying to the door. The guard’s head turned to her, stoic as Regan delivered Cassian’s order. Clear a path. Do it quickly. The guard swiftly obeyed, and Regan returned to the king.
“Okay…” Regan hesitated for a moment, considering the logistics before she linked her arms with his. She’d never touched the king outside the light of the moon. Even now in her human form, the closeness was comforting. Validating somehow. Slowly she started to lift so that he might come to his feet without staggering.
Once Cassian was upright, Regan would hold him steady, letting him gain his balance.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Jan 30, 2023 12:50:36 GMT -5
Cassian leaned heavily on Regan as she helped him into a standing position. What might have otherwise been a humiliating situation oddly felt okay. Regan knew him. She knew his strength, both mentally and physically. He wasn’t concerned with her perception of him because of this encounter. In fact, dizzy as he was, he wasn’t concerned with very much aside from collapsing onto his bed.
He wouldn’t speak. He drooled a little. His eyes rolled and his feet barely moved to help her help him.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jan 30, 2023 12:50:45 GMT -5
They moved slowly, Regan stopping just short of actually lifting Cassian to carry him down the hall, but eventually, they made it to his room. Regan’s every moment was careful.
Regan lowed him to sit on the bed. Then, she knelt before him, fingers working at his bootlaces and slipping them off his feet. Once finished, Regan looked at him, fingers hovering over the buttons on his shirt.
“Can I? Or would you rather someone else…” The words shuffled hesitantly off her tongue. Despite all the time that had passed since he’d made her part of his pack, Regan never forgot, not for a second, that Cassian was her king. Her admiration, her respect for him, would not allow it. So even now, Regan offered him a choice.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Jan 30, 2023 12:51:02 GMT -5
The trip from his study to his bedroom was a blur. The only thing he knew for sure was Regan, because her scent in his nostrils was pungent. It wasn’t bad, or necessarily good, but it was familiar. In fact, laboring in his movement while leaning against her, Cassian found his head leaned against her shoulder, the ends of her hair tickling his cheek. He might have enjoyed it had he not felt himself on the edge of death.
At soon as his bottom hit the bed he collapsed back, lacking the strength to keep himself upright. The comfort of the bed surrounded him, pulling him in, giving permission for his weak mind to flutter and flounder, to lose itself to the thrashing waves of whatever it was ailing his body. He didn’t even realize Regan has removed his shoes, and it wasn’t until she reached for the buttons at his shirt that he realized she was still there. He blinked stupidly up at her before raising a weak hand.
“No,” he groaned, “no one else.” His fingertips lazily tapped his shirt, inviting her to continue her diligent care of him.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jan 30, 2023 12:51:07 GMT -5
“No one else.”
Like a mutt, hungrily nipping at the heels of its master, this little scrap was all she needed to quiet. Carefully and methodically she started to undress him, leaving only to fetch a nightshirt which she slipped over his head and gently pulled his arms into. She didn’t speak, communicating through nudges and tugs to get Cassian where she needed him to go.
Eventually, Cassian would be propped up on some pillows. She’d go to a wash basin, dampening a cloth and returning to lay it across his forehead. “I, uh,” Regan started, in an awkward, quiet bid for permission. “I’d like to stay for a while. Your majesty.” She didn’t even know if Cassian was still awake enough to hear her.