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 May 27, 2023 11:58:18 GMT -5
Hadrian chuckled. His chest puffed up with masculine pride as he took a long draw from his class. So, it was true: Alys had once looked at him with something other than annoyance. Hadrian knew this logically, but it was nice to have it clearly confirmed. At least in such plain terms. He grinned at Alys’s last tease, smirking.
“Oh, I’ve earned my reputation, Alys. Though I’m afraid this wild dog’s been rather domesticated as of late. But…” Hadrian shrugged, “Perhaps I should return to my roots. Becoming a pet isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” His tongue was looser than it should be, but whiskey always did that to him.
It had been a long time she had looked at Hadrian in the way she had before their tension with Logan. A handsome, smooth talking officer who actually was skilled on his field? Well could one blame a girl? She still believed that if he had tried a second time to kiss her that one night long ago, she would’ve. But her restraint for Logan, and his, seemed to win out then.
Chuckling, she sipped further at the whiskey, watching him as he grinned at her. “A pet?” She tilted her head a bit, looking him over as if she was trying to fit him into a puzzle but knew he wouldn’t. “I certainly don’t see you sitting with a pretty collar at anyone’s side…” but something unsettled her as she said it. Had… had that what she become though? Once wild and free, once brought everywhere and entrusted… now confined to a cage with a label of an office…
“I should probably get some water…” yet she shot back a swallow of her whiskey as she settled into his side.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 2, 2023 18:48:47 GMT -5
Hadrian laughed too—a rippling sound more easy and carefree than he’d felt in weeks. His worries were disappearing with every sip of whiskey, as was the memory of Kennet. Hadrian was becoming keenly aware of Alys’s warmth, the smell of her skin, and the tinkling music of her voice.
“Probably…” He mumbled, speech slurred with whiskey. He wrapped his arm around Alys as if he had no intention of letting her fetch it.
Last Edit: Jun 2, 2023 18:48:57 GMT -5 by Hadrian Usher
Probably, but neither of them move. Neither stood to go for the liquid they should be ingesting. Rather the two of them settled together, resting as if it was a natural thing between the two of them. A small buzz kicked up within her head as she decided it was then, as her body moved enough to fit against him hip to thigh, that she should finish her drink and rest her head upon his shoulder.
“Hard to get water or anything when you hold me like this…” she pointed out, her eyes falling to where her hand rested partially on his leg and hers.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 6, 2023 8:08:31 GMT -5
Hadrian snorted, fingers winding into her curl as he chuckled.
“How unfortunate…” He hummed with grin, falling into the familiar role of the roguish commander. The seducer of beautiful women, the cad at court that flirted with the wives of men who could never satisfy them as he could. Gently, his fingers tugged on Alys’s curls so that she was looking up at him.
He shouldn’t. Hadrian saw this for what it was: an old flame, a whim, a way to dull the pain of heartache with beauty. But she was so very beautiful, and warm, and real—real, in a way Kennet had never been.
It took her a moment to recognize that fingers wound into her hair, but once she did she was leaning into the touch. The small command of being urged to tip her head up was listened to, dark eyes blinking almost slowly as she focused on him. They had been here before… hadn’t they? In another time… they had say this close, had been close enough for their breath to mingle. To tickle her lips as he leaned in.
In the past this is when she would pull away, when she’d give him a sad excuse… a small denial… but why should she now? The warmth of liquor coursed through her, warming her face and stomach, while the rest of her warmed to the way he had gazed down to her and the way his fingers tangled themselves in her curls.
Lips met, and Alys found herself hastily passing off the glass in her hand to the table… missing it. Letting it clatter to the rug without care, not when her fingers wove through his hair and pulled him closer.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 12, 2023 18:13:00 GMT -5
Goddesses, she felt so good. Even in the cramped mayhem of her room, Alys was an escape. A fantasy so frequented that it had become familiar as a memory. But now, it was made real. Kennet didn’t matter, neither did the world outside. All that existed was the four walls, the smell of lavender, and the softness of Alys’s skin beneath his fingers.
He didn’t waste any time. Hadrian pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him before starting to undress her, kissing her all the while.
There was no ‘buts’ or ‘what if’s’. No, not when she found the comfort he offered too good to pass up… too good to turn away from as he hoisted her from her spot and into his lap over him. He tasted of whiskey and confidence, something she leaned into as she shrugged out of her top. As her hands pulled to untuck his shirt and push it up his body, tearing it from him as she leaned back.
She paused only a second to look at him then, to really look at Hadrian. At how his mouth parted when he panted, how color highlighted his cheeks and the slightly swollen look of his lips, how he might’ve been looking at her…
“Hadrian,” it wasn’t a no or question, it was almost a praise, a thanks, as she dove back in to kiss him once more and help rid them both of the fabrics that separated them.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 16, 2023 11:26:16 GMT -5
Hadrian was ordinarily a patient man. He’d proven as much with Kennet—tortuously unraveling her until she was putty in his hands. But this, with Alys, now, was different. He allowed himself to be wild; to grasp at every inch of her smooth skin with reckless abandon. He didn’t need to play games with Alys; needn’t coax and plead to so carefully thread the needle of affection. There was something certain about her; confident and familiar and entirely irresistible.
Unless Alys pulled back or did anything to stall his advances, Hadrian would strip her naked and lift her with ease. Making space with a sweep of his arm, he’d lay her flat on the table and take her with near-frenzied ferocity.
Perhaps she’d regret it later, or come back for more, she didn’t care in the moment as he pulled the clothing from her. As she pushed at his clothing and let out a sound that expressed clearly how much she liked the way he handled her, how she didn’t care for whatever had been on the table in front of the couch… and certainly didn’t mind the wildness that gleamed in his eyes.
A low growl sounded in her throat, the full moon pushing her a bit more wild, but controllable as he took her in a way that left small half moons carved into his shoulders, and his name, his, escaping her lips. Her eyes never leaving him.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 23, 2023 10:09:21 GMT -5
[ FADE IN ]
Hadrian did not fully understand the nature of Alys’s beast, but when the growl surfaced he pursued with the same wildness he sensed in her. When he finished, he parted from her, panting, forehead damp with sweat and exertion. He swore, grinning and marveling at her.
“It was about damn time,” Hadrian teased, offering a hand to help her sit upright.
Alys laid against the table for a long moment, catching her breath as her eyes fell shut. A soft noise leaving her as he parted from her and yet it was the swear that had her peek up at him. Sweating, grinning, and yet his eyes seemed to still dance across her in a way that told her he still was enjoying her, even if he had finished.
But it was the laugh that fell from her when he teased that filled her room. ‘About damn time’, years in the making in a way. It had tapered off a little when she slipped her hand into his and he helped her sit upright. “I definitely thought we had missed the chance for a long, long while there,” she laughed, staring up at him for a small pause. She wasn’t expecting anything after, assuming he’d think the same. But she let the silence linger for a little before her dark eyes fell to her knees, a hand pushing through her curls as she glanced at the lounge behind them.
“I don’t supposed you plan on lounging after?” She asked, raising a brow as her eyes returned to his.
Post by Hadrian Usher on Jun 25, 2023 11:19:47 GMT -5
Hadrian laughed — a warm, resonant laugh that filled the room. “Me too,” He said, shaking his head a little. The timing had never matched up, but now there was no reason—no person—to say they shouldn’t. It was freeing to be here with her, even if that freedom were temporary. Kennnet’s hand was still on his shoulder, her green eyes still fixed in his mind. But for now, it was a weight forgotten.
“I could be persuaded,” Hadrian purred with a grin, leaning in to kiss her before taking up his whiskey again. He wasn't in any hurry; either to leave or, evidently, to get dressed.
Later, she might grapple with what happened here in a new way. Her mind drifting to Logan… and even Zevran and what he had come to be to her. But now? It was only Hadrian, the laugh that left him and how he didn’t rush to dress and leave the room. How he kissed her and seemed to linger behind with her for another glass of whiskey. For that, she pushed aside the outside world, and allowed herself a bit of peace with him.
Polishing off the whiskey bottle, and without an ounce of shame, she offered him to come back. Whether a glass of whiskey was needed, a sounding board, or even someone to tangle in the sheets with… she grinned up to him as they said their farewells, blissfully unaware of what would transpire in the next day or so.