Success on Day One

So my first official day of noveling insanity is finally done and over with, at a total of 5,017 words. Which means that I also completed my forum challenge of 5k on the first day. To celebrate, I'm providing everyone with a blog post, as well as an excerpt! Huzzah!

As it turns out, I actually found challenge where I expected none. I figured my excitement of finally starting work on Shades of Change would simply carry me away to success, but apparently my brain didn't want any of that. Every so often, it would wander away in search of something else, be it a word I couldn't find, another thing I wanted to do, or whatever. In short, my brain forced me to take many, many, many small breaks while I was trying to sit and write seriously. Thankfully, I already had close to the daily goal of 1,667 during the midnight write-off and that helped immensely in my quest for wordly domination (see what I did there?).

Incidentally, inspiration struck yet again while I was trying to drain my brain of inspired thought, as it so often does. Unsatisfied with the way my novel's beginning ended up coming out on paper, I actually figured out a way to fix it while still ignoring it in favor of fresh progress, so at the end of the competition, I will be writing the true beginning of my novel, as long as I don't forget about it.

Now for excerpts!

--

Kari'ine felt the invasion more than she saw or heard it. A rumbling shook the ground upon which the city was built, and her heart skipped multiple beats as she realized what was going on. Rising from her seat on the couch, Kari'ine marched to the mantle and removed the sword from its brackets. Groggily, Vaelen stirred before finally seeing his mother rushing about the house. Through the house's windows mother and son could see soldiers moving briskly through the domicile's narrow streets, and none of them wore the colors of Leberith. Sighing heavily, Kari'ine moved to the door and made to open it before Vaelen objected.

“Mother, what are you doing?” he asked, still waking up from his restful sleep.

“Vaelen. Promise me that you'll listen to what I'm about to tell you. It is gravely important that you do as I say,” Kari'ine replied, a serious tone replacing her normal cheery and loving one.

“But why? What's going on?” Vaelen asked again, rubbing his eyes. Confusion settled itself deep within the young man's mind as events quickly became out of hand. Kari'ine walked steadily over to her son and rested her free hand on his shoulder.

“Son, you are a exceptional young man, and I know you'll grow to do great things, but you must promise me that you will do as I say. All will make itself clear in short time, but in order for that to happen, you must do what I tell you. Do you understand?”

Resisting the urge to question further for the moment, Vaelen nodded. “Yes mother.”

“Good. Stay here until morning. When you see the sun rise, go to Annalia. She will ensure your care until I return. When I do, I will clarify things. I promise.”

With those words, Kari'ine made for the door again, and opened it, glancing briefly back at Vaelen, still deeply confused. Giving him one last reassuring nod, she disappeared through the wooden frame and shut the door behind her, sword in hand. Tears began welling beneath Vaelen's eyes as he worried for what might become of his mother. She promised him she'd come back, and he was planning on holding her to that promise. Returning to the couch, Vaelen closed his eyes again, wishing that he could dream everything back to normal, instead of the nightmare reality was turning out to be.

--

When morning light came bearing down through the glass window panes, Vaelen again stirred himself awake. The rumbling of the night prior had finally subsided and all was peaceful in the domicile again. Holding hope in his heart that his mother hadn't actually left him last night, but instead was sleeping in her bed, Vaelen rushed to the back of the house and opened the door to his parent's bedroom. Eagerly looking over the sheets of the bed, he was disappointed to find that everything he remembered of the night prior had actually transpired. Which meant that he was now to go to Annalia's home, and stay there for a while.

It wasn't difficult to find Annalia's house, as she was Allandria's mother, and being that as it was , he was there nearly every day. Giving a weak knock on the door, Vaelen waited for the response. It came sooner than usual, and as Annalia opened the door, he spoke his cause for being there this particular day.

“My mother requested that I come here and stay under your care until she returned, ma'am,” he said, sullenly.

“I see. Where did she go, I wonder?” Annalia asked, concern coloring her voice.

Vaelen shrugged, “I don't know. She left last night with the family sword, and just told me to come find you. She didn't say anything else about it.”

Nodding, Annalia motioned for Vaelen to follow her into the house. Her home was slightly larger than Vaelen's family's, but the floor plan had been quite similar, with only the addition of one bedroom. Gesturing at the dining room table, Annalia told Vaelen to take a seat. She sat across from him.

“How are you feeling, Vaelen?” she asked.

He stayed silent, not wishing to betray his feelings of fear and concern for his family's safety, if only to maintain the appearance of strength. Noting this, Annalia asked, “Are you feeling hungry? I was about to begin making breakfast, and I can easily adjust for one more diner.”

“Yes, please,” Vaelen replied, meekly.

“Okay, then. I'll have it ready in just a few moments. Allandria, Vaelen's here. Keep him some company while I fix breakfast, please.”

Coming from the back of the house, Allandria spotted Vaelen and sat next to him. She shared his concern and her face showed it.

“What happened last night? Such terrible noise... I haven't heard anything like it before,” she said, nearly trembling.

“I don't know. I saw men in armor, and they didn't look like they were from around here. I'm... I'm confused, and I don't know what to think. My mother went out last night, but why she would do that during a time like that escapes me,” Vaelen said, staring at his clasped hands on the wooden table. “Allandria, I'm worried.”

His friend merely nodded quietly, a sad expression on her face.

Shortly after their exchange, Annalia returned with food, which was rather promptly picked at halfheartedly. No one, after the previous night's events being shrouded in mystery, could even really think about eating. Silently ruminating over the increasingly cold food, the three of them wondered to themselves what could possibly have happened. After all, what reason could anyone have to invade Leberith's sacred peace? It seemed so surreal and unprovoked.

Minutes passed in silence before a pounding at the door broke the peace. Confused and worried, Annalia moved to the door and hesitantly opened it. As she did, the face of the local messenger sprang into view.

“Lady Annalia. I've been requested to spread the news of a speech from our new lord that all in the domicile have been invited to,” the young boy said, shuffling his feet nervously.

“What is this about? Do you know?” Annalia asked in response.

The messenger shook his head briefly. “No ma'am. He didn't tell me any specific details beyond that.”

“I see. Thank you, Dalen.”

His news delivered, Dalen moved on to the next house on the street and Annalia closed the door.

“This is troubling. 'Our new lord'? Someone has obviously got some measure of gall. Come, Allandria, Vaelen. Let us go see 'our new lord' and hear what he has to say,” she said.

Exiting the house in favor of navigating the streets, Annalia led the two young adults toward one large path that branched out toward all of the city's provinces. Walking the highway into the city square, in the middle of Leberith's expanse, the three came upon a gathering crowd. In the middle of the square were crudely made gallows, as of yet unfilled. Beside those stood a man, masked behind a cowl of gray fabric so that only his eyes were visible above the darkened hood. He wore garb not of Leberith's; exquisite looking silks dyed dark colors, much like the man's cowl. His boots looked to be made of foreign leathers and cured using techniques not known to the local crafters. Whoever it was, he was fairly obviously not a man of the city.

In time, the square was full to capacity and the man finally stirred beyond mere pacing. Taking broad steps across the stage, he swept his arms wide to gesture at the entirety of the crowd.

“Citizens of Leberith!” he called, his voice carrying across the entire square, absolutely clear despite the cowl. “I have come bearing grand news; news I'm quite sure you'll thank me for. You have been liberated from your lazy and squandering king. The lover of injustice has been removed from the throne and has been replaced by a kind and thoughtful man.”

With a small gesture to one of the other men at stand-by on the stage, three people were brought up, heads covered by hoods of the deepest black cloth. One by one, they were marched to the gallows and nooses were fitted to their necks.

“However, be there sympathizers for the rule of the unjust king, let there be a demonstration to... dissuade them from any rash decisions.”

At his final word, the hoods were stripped from the prisoners' heads and their faces laid bare for all to see. Amidst the gasps of sections within the crowd, one of the most audible came from Vaelen himself. Upon the stage, noose to her neck, was Kari'ine, his mother.

--

So, what of your noveling conquests? Any unexpected successes or shortcomings in your first day of NaNo?