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!
Though @veda had called on him to wait, Fred simply didn't have time. Though as he sulked out of the water he did glance around for his partner, he still wasn't sure he actually wanted to face her right now and probably get an unsurprised reaction. What he hadn't expected was for Evanthe Curran to actually chase after him. He was sure she'd want to praise the man who'd won or go find Keelan Morrigan or something she thought he was so attractive anyway.
When she called his name he looked back to see who it was and when he realized it was her he almost turned to run away from her again. However, in spite of his own embarrassment, he didn't have it in him to do something that might hurt another person's feelings so his feet slowed until they stopped as she caught up with him. She asked if he was alright and found a handkerchief which he accepted graciously if only because of how terrible he must look right now and she didn't deserve to have to look at his ugly, ashamed face. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's fine," he mumbled, looking down at her toes rather than at her beautiful face as he dabbed at his own, trying to clean his face and stop the bleeding all at once.
"I guess the better man won in the end," he said, glancing over to Bulger who was heading out of the water proudly with Evanthe's wreath in his hand, though he wasn't headed towards them at least. Fred guessed he'd be going to give the wreath to Keelan.
It was only after she had greeted her sister that she took notice of what was going on in the water. She rolled her eyes with a little laugh. She didn't know @frederick as well as she knew Benedict Delaney, but she wasn't surprised at Fred fighting with a beast of a man over a wreath.
While she was looking at one Delaney, the other made his way over to the Chaudhari sisters and nudged her. "I can't say I'm surprised", she responded calmly, but a bit teasingly. "You Delaney boys always make a show of yourselves, even when you're not together." She supposed it was a twin thing. She felt connected to @veda too, but she could imagine it wasn't quite the same as being part of a twin pair. "Are you here with Ellison, or hunting again?" She knew her friend was poly, and while she didn't quite understand how someone could love multiple people at once, she would never dare judge Ben for it. It wasn't up to her to do so, and even if it was, she lived by the motto that what others did, didn't matter as long as it didn't affect her. There were exceptions to this rule, of course, but most of these exceptions had to do with work.
A festival was hardly the time to bring it up, but she wondered how Ellison felt about her niece getting arrested in plain sight for anti-Rainecourt conspiracies. The Morrigan and the Delaney family were strongly intertwined, and while Ellison had taken Ben's last name, she was still a Morrigan witch. She would have to ask about it some other time.
@nithya approached at just the right time, drawing her attention from her partner. But not before she caught Evanthe Curran running after him. At least she showed some care, whether he had been successful in her wreath tussle or not. Her dark eyes lingered for a long moment, tucking the crystal back into her pocket before she looked to her older sister. Giving her a smile as she fully took her in. "Look at you, already blessed by the Mother," she smiled, leaning slightly into her sister's touch with a smile.
And then a familiar face, one that she would never mistake for her partner (at least not now), but was a welcomed one either way: Benedict Delaney. "You know him," she let out a sigh, watching as Evanthe caught up to Fred and at least slowed him for the time being. It didn't erase the fact that Veda would be scolding him later and attempting to shove potions his way for his busted nose, but at least it made her settle back on her feet and not be prepared to charge after him.
Veda missed the comment about hunting, focused on her partner and his latest, trying to read the body language between them before she shifted back to the two of them. Her hand sliding into the crook of her sister's elbow as she fully turned her attention to Ben.
Post by Benedict Delaney on Sept 8, 2023 15:52:55 GMT -5
Ben chuckled at @nithya's comment. Yes, the Delaney twins did rather have a habit of drawing attention, that was true. Though to be fair, Fred was much less often the one to do so than Ben was. So really Ben ought to be proud. He grinned then at his friend's question about Ellison. "She's over there, spotted someone to talk to," he said, waving in the general direction that Ellison had gone and then lowered his voice slight as he added. "Besides, sometimes we hunt together," he teased. Most people were unaware of the arrangement he and Ellison had and while Nith might not understand it, it was still nice to be able to talk about it in a slightly more open way with someone.
He gave a smile to @veda as she turned her attention back to the two of them, Ben casting a brief glance over to Fred and Evanthe before turning back to the two sisters. "He'll be just fine. He always is when he has such a good partner to continually pick him back up when he falls. That must be exhausting on you, Veda."
Post by Evanthe Curran on Sept 9, 2023 9:13:10 GMT -5
He said he was fine, but he didn’t look fine to her. True, it looked like the bloody nose was the worst of the injuries, but she’d known @frederick for long enough to know that the physical blows weren’t the only things that would hurt him. She’d had the opinion for a while that Fred was a sweet sort of soul. He wasn’t the only one disappointed that her wreath had been stolen from under him. She wanted to fuss over him, but hesitated. Would that make him feel worse? Would it hurt his pride more than it had already been hurt? “Good,” she said instead, smiling, but couldn’t keep the worry from her eyes.
“Better man?” she knew he was referring to the stranger who fought him for her wreath, “I don’t know who would be a better man than you, Fred. As far as I’m concerned, the wreath was yours.” Her words may have perhaps been too bold, but she meant it. Fred was sweet and solid and the only thing she saw of the other guy was that he was large and thuggish.
Last Edit: Sept 9, 2023 9:55:57 GMT -5 by Evanthe Curran
The capture of the wreath was said to be a sign that the goddess blesses the connection between the two people, it was good luck for their potential relationship. Fred blushed and finally looked up at her to meet her gaze when she spoke about her wreath. "Y-yeah?" he asked, feeling a lift in his chest and his stomach filled with butterflies. Fred didn't know if Evanthe Curran claimed to be part of the Coven of the Twofold Goddess that hosted this event but it hardly mattered. Her words meant that she chose him over Bulger, maybe even over Keelan Morrigan as well.
Fred was tempted to look out at the crowd for the Morrigan man but decided that keeping his attention on Evanthe was far more preferrable. "Would you, um- I mean I'd-," he cleared his throat. "I would be honored if you'd join me for a picnic next week if that is agreeable," he said to her, hoping she might accept the offer for a date.
Nithya caught a glimpse of @veda tucking the crystal away. In a lot of ways, there were so alike. It wasn't surprising, though. They belonged to the same coven and shared the same beliefs. Perhaps her sister was a little more into crystals than Nithya was herself, but still. She herself spent more time carefully picking out herbs and burning them if she needed something. Every herb had a correspondence to the spiritual realm, and Nithya loved to use them in spellwork and offering to the Goddess.
They all seemed to be distracted by @frederick, but that didn't keep her from making a joke. Benedict Delaney seemed to appreciate it. He pointed at where Ellison was, and told her they sometimes hunted together. The witch chuckled softly and shook her head, not in a disapproving manner, but because she just couldn't believe her friend sometimes. Again, it wasn't her cup of tea, but she didn't judge him, and as long as he and Ellison were happy with their arrangement, she was happy for them. She dropped the topic, not wanting to reveal his 'secret' to her sister, because she knew Ben wasn't very public about the way his and Ellison's relationship worked.
"Do we know her?" Nith asked, looking at Evanthe Curran. The question was not directed at one of the two in particular, but she was curious who the other Delaney twin was fighting for. She wished she had enhanced hearing so she could hear what the two were talking about. While she knew not to stick her nose where it didn't belong, it didn't mean that she was never curious about what people were doing or saying. Luckily she didn't have to worry about what people were saying about her. She hadn't made quite enough public appearances for that. Of course people talked about the Chaudhari coven as a whole, but as far as she knew, she was never singled out as an individual.
While Benedict Delaney was the twin to her partner, they were not the same person. She could immediately spot the differences in the twins, and she had a confident thought that if she had ever been blindfolded, she’d only need 3 minutes to be able to tell which twin was which. With only hearing them say one word right at the end. She knew her twin.
But damn, did she find herself enjoying Ben’s company whenever he was around. Her chuckle as she shook her head said everything. “It is exhausting.” She admitted, something she had told Fred himself plenty as well. “But if he’s happy, then it makes it easier for me to be happy.” And her eyes cut to @nithya then, as if she would repeat the words they’d often hear: a pleased witch is a strong witch. Though each witch seemed to take the word ‘pleased’ as different things.
She turned her attention back to @frederick and Evanthe Curran. “I’ve seen her before. But I am no good at names,” she admitted but looked to Ben as if he’d have a better idea of who she was.
Post by Benedict Delaney on Sept 19, 2023 11:43:28 GMT -5
Ben had always liked Veda. He still couldn't understand why Fred hadn't made any moves on her partner when she was not only stunningly beautiful but seemed like such a good for him. They had balanced each other out well. Perhaps not at first but time had made then quite the pair. He laughed as she admitted that Fred could be exhausting.
"Her name is Evanthe Curran. She's an officer in the military and from a smaller noble family." At least smaller than both the Delaneys and Chaudharis. "She's a good friend of mine actually. Overall, she's certainly a good option," he said though he looked back at Veda again. Veda would a very good option too if Fred could only see past his own nose when it came to his partner.
Post by Koralia Barkirtis on Sept 19, 2023 11:53:32 GMT -5
As she watched everyone else joyfully engaging with each other, she found herself standing on the sidelines, offering a gentle, supportive smile to those who passed by. Though she was happy for them, a twinge of loneliness crept into her heart. Couples strolled by, arms linked, the men presenting their ladies with lovely bouquets. It dawned on her that perhaps this year was not her time to find love. Nevertheless, she drew in a deep breath and reminded herself that her efforts were not for herself, but for her daughter, who was in need of a father figure. With steely determination, she pressed on, resolved to keep moving forward with positivity and grace.
Nithya listened to Benedict Delaney and @veda 's replies to her question. She looked at Evanthe Curran again, with her hands behind her back and her shoulders straight. She too wondered why Fred hadn't made a move on Veda. Was he perhaps afraid of their religion and their coven? The Delaneys weren't scared easily, so she doubted it. "It seems like more and more women are climbing the ranks in the military. It's nice to see that our magic is appreciated." She smiled a bit. "Before you know it, Fred has two powerful witches on his hands", she added jokingly, nudging Veda slightly.
Last Edit: Sept 22, 2023 12:34:13 GMT -5 by Deleted
Veda would be lying if she said she had never thought about it. Paired partners often at least dallied with one another a time or two with how close they became during their trainings. But not her and Fred. She had thought something wrong with her at first, but the more she got to know Fred, it almost made sense. Or at least she believed it did. He was interested in a family life… something Veda, a solider, couldn’t quite give him. Especially with her family.
But here he was, chasing an officer. Her head tilted slightly as she watched the two. Her curious thoughts had long ago faded, or rather she made them fade years ago. Maybe that’s why they did work so well. They weren’t distracted by what they could do behind closed doors, and instead focused on their training and connection as the person who would be backing the other up in battle. But something about her having to share the spot she thought would always be hers… a partner… made her smile tight.
“May the Goddess have mercy on his soul if she’s anything like me.” She laughed, turning back to @nithya and Benedict Delaney. “Maybe one day we will see a witch Captain Commander.” She said, looking to her sister with shining eyes. “Now that would be impressive. Two witches running the military here.” Of course she referred to the King’s Witch involvement as well.
Post by Benedict Delaney on Sept 25, 2023 11:39:33 GMT -5
It was a lot of talk about witches and in ways that Ben had never thought of before. He had never really had to think of it much because he wasn't a woman in their society but he was all for encouraging witches to rise in rank. His wife had and he was very proud of her. He couldn't imagine a woman replacing Hadrian, both him and Logan were excellent Commanders, but knowing Alys as well as he did, he knew a witch would do excellent in that role.
"Perhaps," he agreed. "It's certainly not impossible with such talented witches around," he said with a praising tone to the two sisters he was speaking with. He didn't a ton about their coven, not as much as Fred anyway, but he knew their family produced very skilled, and terrifying, witches.
Post by Evanthe Curran on Sept 30, 2023 21:33:04 GMT -5
Evanthe smiled at @frederick’s blush, admiring the way the flushed hue of his face made his eyes seem brighter, “Yeah,” she said, thinking that her words had had the desired effect. Fred was likely one of the sweetest men she knew, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be sad—especially over something that was meant for him in the first place!
And the the long-awaited offer had been made. If she had to guess what Fred would have picked as a date, a picnic would have just been it! Sweet, intimate, and cozy. She didn’t bother to hide her pleasure at the invitation, “I find your invitation very agreeable,” she said, matching his formal speech pattern, “I’d love to join you for a picnic.”
Fred was absolutely elated when Evanthe Curran accepted his proposal. A date! It was actually happening! He couldn't believe his luck. He hadn't won the wreath but maybe that wouldn't matter. He wouldn't go as far to assume that she might not also entertain Keelan but he wasn't about to dwell on that too much. In fact he'd try not to think of it all.
He beamed at her so brightly that it was nearly warm enough to start drying his clothes. If she let him he would tenderly take her hand and lift it to press a kiss to the back of it. "Then please look out for an official invitation very soon, m'lady," he said, practically swooning.