Excerpt from The Tiphereth Trilogy, Book 2: Dunamis

   The next morning dawned crisp and clear.  The leaves on the trees in the City of the King had all become golden in the autumn air.  Iach brought his horse and Aramiel's around to the front of the palace.
   Aramiel had packed her saddlebag the night before with the clothing she would need for her stay in Ewythrin.  She arrayed herself in a scarlet riding habit and descended from her tower with her saddlebags.  She went to bid Gwynarae and her family goodbye, and walked out the palace door.  Descending the steps, she handed Iach the saddlebags.  He fastened them on to her horse for her and gave her his hand to assist her in mounting.  Aramiel sprang lightly into her saddle and waited for Iach to mount.  The two then rode down through the city.

   "Thank you for coming," Iach suddenly said.  "I did not know if you would, but I think your presence will help Iachin greatly."  He looked at the sixteen year old girl with eyes full of gratitude.

   "You are welcome," Aramiel replied happily.  "I don't mind going to Ewythrin, it is such a beautiful silver city.  I shall enjoy seeing Eytrine again as well.  I think I can help Iachin."

The two continued on in silence until they arrived in Ewythrin.
Copyright 2011 Katie Hepner

Character Tag!

I found this Character tag over at the Letters of Askpen blog
 ( http://lettersofaskpen.blogspot.com/2011/08/character-tag-nadarian-style.html )
and thought it looked fun.

I picked four characters:

Prince Aramoth (This tag is taking place in the middle of Dunamis)
Princess Aramiel
Iach
General Rosaline

If you don’t know who they are, you’ll have to buy the book and read itJ.

Questions:

1.      Do you want a hug?
Prince Aramoth:  Here in Basileia, we grasp hands in friendship.
Princess Aramiel: Do you need one?
Iach:  A hug? I am sorry, I am not familiar with this.
General Rosaline: Hugs are for wimps and demeaning to women.  Out of my sight!

2.      Do you have any kids?
Prince Aramoth: Because of the war and my responsibility to this kingdom, I have not had time to pursue a family.  However I love children and hope to have many someday.
Princess Aramiel: Aramoth spoke for me.
Iach: As for me.
General Rosaline: Children?  Children? You expect me to stay at home and have children?  What a chauvinist!  I would rather brainwash other people’s children!

3.      Have you ever killed someone?

Prince Aramoth: I have never killed a human as of yet, and I hope that the need never arises.  However I have found it necessary to kill many Peerthigrin.
Princess Aramiel: I would pray that the need never arises, and that if it were to, that someone else were there to protect me.
Iach: Aramoth speaks for me.
General Rosaline: Ha.  Don’t you wish you knew?

4.      Love anyone?
Prince Aramoth: My sister, and Ynyth and Gwynarae, and their family, as if they were mine.
Princess Aramiel: My brother, Ynyth, Gwynarae, and their family, as if they were mine.
Iach: My family, and my King and my friend, Aramoth.
General Rosaline: Love is for fools.

5.      What is your job?
Prince Aramoth: I am the future King of Basileia.  I am therefore King, judge, and Commander in chief of the army.
Princess Aramiel: I am a child of God.  My job is to serve Him and bless others.
Iach: Loyal servant, friend, and warrior to my King.
General Rosaline: I am the General and commander in chief of the Snozama, an army of rebellious women who are fed up with the typical female roles of safety, daughterhood, motherhood, and all that rot.

6.      Favorite Season?
Prince Aramoth: I don’t have much time to pay attention, but Spring and Fall are the best conditions for the army.
Princess Aramiel: I love Autumn!
Iach: Aramoth has spoken for me.
General Rosaline: Nightime.  Best for surprise attacks and assassinations.
Prince Aramoth: Ma’am, I believe that the only seasons are Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
General Rosaline: You think you can correct me just because you’re a man?
Prince Aramoth: I beg pardon if I have offended, Ma’am.
General Rosaline: Quit “Ma’am”ing me!  Ma’am is a derogatory term…

7.      Thank you!  Next Question: Who is your Best Friend?
Prince Aramoth: Iach, and my sister Aramiel.
Princess Aramiel: Iachin, ,my brother Aramoth, and Gwynarae.  Not to forget Eytrine.
Iach: My King and friend, Aramoth.
General Rosaline: Friends are for fools.

8.      Hobbies?
Prince Aramoth: I am much occupied with the war, and am always productive.  Hobbies, I believe, are something peculiar to countries of leisure.  However I enjoy training for battle.
Princess Aramiel: If you mean something I enjoy, I enjoy sewing, cooking, and helping Gwynarae around the house.
Iach: I am unfamiliar with this.  It means something I enjoy? Serving my King.
General Rosaline: I like to fight, yell, bully people, and I enjoy public speaking to fire the imaginations of good little girls and ignite the spirit of rebellion in them.

9.      What will you do when this tag is over?

Prince Aramoth: Go and prepare for battle.
Princess Aramiel: Help Gwynarae prepare dinner.
Iach: Ride by Aramoth’s side and prepare the men for battle.
General Rosaline:  Ha.  Go ride the backs of the lazy girls, and speak to the enemy about the lack of equality around here.  We don’t need Peerthigrin helping us just because we are women.

10.   Eye Color?
Prince Aramoth: Brown.
Princess Aramiel: Brown.
Iach: Blue.
General Rosaline: Blueish grey.

11.   Are you good or bad?

Prince Aramoth: I serve God, the High King, and Him alone.
Princess Aramiel: Aramoth speaks for me.
Iach: As for me.
General Rosaline: I serve myself!  And I am bad, wicked, awesome, whatever.

12.  What is your greatest fear?

Prince Aramoth: Behaving wickedly in God’s eyes.

Princess Aramiel: The same.  Although I do fear what might happen if we lose this war.
Iach: Behaving wickedly before God and my King.
General Rosaline: Fear is for fools.

13.  What do you think of your parents?
Prince Aramoth: I wish I could have known them.
Princess Aramiel: The same.
Iach: I love and respect them.
General Rosaline: Those losers?

14.  Any siblings?
Prince Aramoth: Only my sister Aramiel.
Princess Aramiel: Only my brother Aramoth.
Iach: Only my sister Iachin.
General Rosaline: What do I care?

15.  Was this fun?

Prince Aramoth: I always enjoy obliging others.

Princess Aramiel: I liked it.
Iach: I live to serve.
General Rosaline: No way.

16.  Do you have any weaknesses?

Prince Aramoth: I ought not to say what they are in the present company, but everyone does.

Princess Aramiel: Aramoth speaks for me.
Iach: As for me.
General Rosaline: No way.  I’m perfect.

17.  Favorite Element?
Prince Aramoth: None.
Princess Aramiel.  None.
Iach: None.
General Rosaline: Fire.

18.  Do you care what others think of you?

Prince Aramoth: Only God.
Princess Aramiel: Only God.
Iach: Only God and Aramoth.
General Rosaline: They had better think I’m every bit as good as a man!

19.  Do you have a theme song?

Prince Aramoth: Miss Hepner informed me that she has written an instrumental piece which is my theme song.  I abide by her will.
Princess Aramiel: Miss Hepner informed me that my theme song is likely “In Christ Alone.”  I abide by her decision.
Iach: Miss Hepner has informed me that my theme song is likely “The Impossible Dream”.  She also informed me that this would be Aramoth’s song as well were it not for the piece she has written. 
General Rosaline: I don’t care who this Hepner person is.  My theme song was written by the enemy, sung by me, him, and the Peerthigrin.  It’s called “Don’cha start believin’ all those Basileian lies.”  It’s mostly rap.

20.  What’s your species?

Prince Aramoth: Human, of course.
Princess Aramiel: Human, of course.
Iach: Human, of…you understand.
General Rosaline: A very twisted, strong, evolved, human!

May's Character of the Month: Iach

Iach was born and raised in Idyllin.  Eldest child and son of Iadryn and his wife Adelos, Iach was raised a warrior's son.  Iadryn his father was one of the leading Idyllinae men, and when King Arorhroth sent for the wisest men in the kingdom to be his counselors, Iadryn was chosen of all the Idyllinae.

  When Iach was eight or nine years old, he began a war band with his friends.  They practiced archery and swordsmanship together, and when their fathers would go out to hunt down a Peerthigrin that had been in the area, the boys would accompany them.  As they got older, they became more and more capable of doing so on their own. 

   But when Prince Aramoth moved to Idyllin, Iach had met his match.  He was bested in a friendly swordfight and, finding that Aramoth was the Prince, knew he had found a born leader for his war band.  He instituted Aramoth as their leader, stepped down to second in command, and became Aramoth's best friend.

Iach has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a earnest, friendly personality.  The character quality that best describes him is loyalty.  Iach is inherently loyal, especially to his best friend, Aramoth.

Iach remained loyal to Aramoth as well as the High King when many others fell away.  Though more suited to be second in command than a leader, Iach stood up for what was right and proved his loyalty by being the first to pledge allegiance to King Aramoth, when older men hesitated.

Iach genuinely cares about people.  He loves his sister Iachin dearly, even when she goes through rebellious and trying stages.  He doesn't just pretend like her sin is okay, but he lovingly tries to bring her back. 

Iach did not marry until he was around thirty, well above the Basileian average, but despite this he became the father of fourteen children who grew to love and serve the High King.

Prince Aramoth: Featured Character this month: March

I don’t want to spoil the story for you in case you haven’t finished it yet, so this month we are featuring Aramoth.

Aramoth has dark brown hair and eyes, is taller than average, and due to intense physical discipline is stronger than anyone his age.

So much for physical appearance, now on to character.

Aramoth is a strong leader, with wisdom beyond his years.  Due to early hardships such as the death of his parents, he developed a quiet and serious personality.  He can be fun, but he is thoughtful and deeper than most.  Nothing about him is frivolous. 
   His favorite weapons are his bow and his sword.  He is also good with knives and his quarterstaff, but finds the bow and the sword to be the best weapons, when on hand, to use against an enemy army.  He enjoys practicing archery, fencing, knife throwing, and practicing with his bow staff and his quarterstaff with his friend Iach, and the eighteen other boys in their war band.
   Aramoth is a gentleman in the best sense of the word.  With a strict sense of propriety, he exacts from himself the highest standard, so that few could find fault with his actions.

Aramoth is a true Christian and his goal in life is to glorify God in all that he does.  As the leader of his country, he takes his responsibility to heart and strives to lead his people in righteousness.  He understands that as the leader, it is his duty to tell others what to do.  If he personally believes something is wrong, he knows it is his duty to forbid it.   He does not stand on ceremony and would never dream of saying, “Well I personally think it is wrong, but I would never tell someone else they shouldn’t do it.”  Aramoth knows that as King it is his duty to tell others what they should do, and he takes his responsibility to God and to his country seriously.

Aramoth loves children and babies, and is delighted when he gets a chance to play with them.  However he does not act in a patronizing way towards them, but treats them as equals.

Aramoth is the only son of Aroroth and Mayhiyel.  His father died when he was three years old, his mother a few months afterwards.  Aramoth was sent by his grandfather, King Arorhroth, to Thurwyn, to be raised by Rellon of Thurwyn and his wife.  However, at the age of six, when Thurwyn was besieged, he was removed to Ewythrin for safety and placed under the care of Athoran and his wife Gwynarth.  Rellon died in defense of Thurwyn.  While living with Athoran and his family, Aramoth began intense training in the use of arms under Athoran’s daughter, Gwynarae.  When Aramoth was eight years old, Athoran was killed by Peerthigrin while traveling back to Ewythrin from Idyllin.  When Aramoth was ten years old, Gwynarth too died.  Left to the sole guardianship of Gwynarae, Aramoth left Ewythrin with Gwynarae during the siege of Ewythrin.  They crossed the hills into Idyllin, where Gwynarae married Ynyth Tamam of Banoch.  Aramoth remained in Idyllin living with Ynyth and Gwynarae Tamam until he was thirteen, at which time he and the Tamams relocated to the City of the King, shortly after the siege of Banoch.  Aramoth then lived in the palace with his grandfather, Arorhroth, until his death shortly after, at which time Aramoth, the next in line for the throne, became the King.  But from the time he was ten, Aramoth looked on Ynyth and Gwynarae Tamam as his parents.

Stay tuned for more updates, including April’s Character of the month!