North Drake posts
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Book 2: Chapter 12: The Birth Of An Empire
Chapter 12:The Birth Of An EmpireLiliana of Ashford had never been a woman who waited for permission. The world was shifting beneath her feet, and if she had to be the axis it spun on, so be it. Steel in her chest, maps and futures in her mind, she moved with the precision of someone who had no pati...
Book 1: Prologue: The Last Day And The First Day
Hey, I did a little rewrite of the very first chapter. I don’t think it’s perfect, but I do think it reads a lot smoother now. I’ll also be reworking the next chapters over the coming weeks, whenever I have a bit of spare time. When I finally finish my work on Book 1, I’ll provide a new EPUB...
Book 2: Chapter 11: Gatewick’s New Order
Chapter 11:Gatewick’s New OrderThe throne was cold.Not just cold, icy, with every shift pressing the obsidian’s chill straight through the thin layers of Grace’s dress. She tried not to shiver, even as a numb ache settled into her bones. Maybe her grandmother chose this stone not just for its ...
Book 2: Chapter 10: The Unchosen Heir
Chapter 10:The Unchosen HeirSelira of Ashford.This was her name now, for better or worse, and she couldn't quite decide which. The past days had rushed by in a surreal fever dream, each moment blending into the next until reality itself felt distorted, impossible to fully grasp. Her own feverish...
Book 2: Chapter 9: Masks Off
Chapter 9:Masks OffA smug smile spread across Steward Harold Winthrop’s face as he watched the procession approach through the castle gates. It was about time something interesting happened in Gatewick, he mused, adjusting his finely tailored sleeves. He’d held the castle comfortably for nearly ...
Book 2: Chapter 8: Gatewick
Chapter 8:GatewickGatewick had always been Liam's home, more fortress than town, standing resolutely atop the hill like an ancient sentinel guarding its people below. The sturdy stone walls and battlements spoke of centuries of pride and strength. Even now, as Liam stood watch along the southern...
Book 2: Chapter 7: No Way Back
Chapter 7:No Way BackThe king set his golden goblet down with a hollow thud. The wine within trembled, flickering blood-red shadows across the council table. His hands lingered on the stem, knuckles white with age and weariness.“So, it’s true?” he asked quietly, though he already knew the answ...
A few pictures I haven’t shared on RoyalRoad
Thought you might like to see some pictures I created to help me get into the story while writing :)Picture 1: Grace with her cousin Ser CalenPicture 2-3: Grace with Clara in the ochard-scenePicture 4: Liliana with the crystal with Boran insidePicture 5: 'concept art' from ClaraPicture 6-7: ...
Book 2: Chapter 6: Mad Enough To Choose
Chapter 6:Mad Enough To ChooseStonecall. The day of law, order, and, apparently, slow, public disintegration. Grace supposed there was a metaphor in that somewhere, but if there was, she was too tired to find it. Not that she’d slept. Sleep was apparently just another privilege denied to princesse...
Book 2: Chapter 5: Alone, But Not Lost
Hey, it’s me!Don’t be surprised by the chapter spam! (:I'm aiming to build a 10-chapter buffer, and then I’ll start posting one chapter per day for 7 days to kick off the next book on RoyalRoad. That way, Patreon will stay ahead by about 5 chapters.Later on, I’m thinking about posting up...
Book 2: Chapter 4: Gods Cannot Sleep
Chapter 4:Gods Cannot SleepThe stone corridor unfurled before Grace like an interminable ledger: polished tiles, gilded sconces, and somewhere at the end, a balance sheet of new obligations. She shadowed the maid in silence, matching the woman’s precise heel-to-toe glide because anything less woul...
Book 2: Chapter 3: Tired, Not Broken
Chapter 3:Tired, Not BrokenElen had stopped counting her steps sometime around sunset.The trail of flowers had not wavered. Even after a full day of walking, through damp moss, bramble-choked underbrush, and silent glades where no birds dared sing, the blossoms still glowed faintly in the deepening ...
Book 2: Chapter 2: What Remains After Light
Chapter 2:What Remains After LightLady Montclair of Ashford had never bent her knee to anyone. Not to the kings of Virethorn. Not to the High Court. Not even to love. She had never married, she had refused to, because the thought of surrendering her name, her legacy, to a man made her stomach turn. ...
Book 2: Chapter 1: Madness Has A Name
Chapter 1: Madness Has A NameThe hall was loud.Louder than it had any right to be.Grace sat stiffly at the high table of the Valewick Citadel, legs dangling from a chair too tall, squeezed into a red and gold gown she hadn’t chosen, barely able to breathe thanks to the ridiculous amount of silk wr...
Cover for Book 2
Hey guys, I tried creating a cover for the second book, what do you think of it?1, 2 or 3? (:
Book 2: Prologue: Loose Ends
Prologue: Loose Ends“I’ll prepare you for your death.”Her words echoed relentlessly through Lennard’s mind, haunting him with every repetition. Since Grace had returned, nothing was the same. She’d stepped back into his life as easily as she'd invaded his apartment—taking ownership o...
Book 1: EPUB
As promised, here is the EPUB version of Book 1 for your readers!
Full Epilogue
So I’m back! I actually wrote quite a lot during the flight, but now I really need to edit it. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this, but sometimes I reread what I’ve written and come across sentences like: 'This was the most credibile, the most, credible the most credible record[...]&...
Book 1: Epilogue (Part 1) & Announcement
After being sick for over a week, a lot of work piled up. Right now, I’m trying to get back to my usual backlog of 5–8 chapters. Unfortunately, time’s been really tight lately.This afternoon, I’m flying to London for a wedding and won’t be back until Monday. Since I’m currently only 2–...
Book 1: Chapter 60: And So It Begins
Hey everyone!The last part of this book has been really tough for me to write, and it’s turned out way longer than I expected. Chapter 60 will be the final chapter, but the story will officially wrap up with an Epilogue afterward.The Epilogue might be ready later today, but more likely tomorrow ev...
Book 1: Chapter 59: Lady Selira Of Ashford
Chapter 59:Lady Selira Of AshfordGrace hadn’t slept.Not that it mattered. Her body might have been small—stupidly so—but she knew how to push through the weariness by now. Still, she couldn’t help but feel mild annoyance at this childish exhaustion creeping up on her.Pathetic, she thought wi...
Book 1: Chapter 58: Her Name On Every Tongue
Chapter 58:Her Name on Every TongueThere was no sky. No ground. No air to breathe, nor stars to chart.Only light. An endless, golden sphere suspended in the void — not within it, but against it, defiant. A temple made of radiance and memory, each beam woven from truths older than time. It floated ...
Book 1: Chapter 57: Birthday Morning
Hey guys, I’m back! I’ll try to edit and post one chapter every day until Friday.Last week was rough, but I’m glad I’m no longer stuck in bed. (:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 57:Birthday MorningGrace lay awake, eyes wide open, s...
A little update
Hey, just a quick update, unfortunately, I’m currently stuck in bed with a summer flu and a fever.That’s why I probably won’t be posting anything next week either.I’ll catch up the week after that.Just in case anyone’s wondering why it’s been so quiet lately.I'm sorry for the delay a...
Chapter 56: No Glory Left
I made some slight edits to Chapters 54 and 55 to make them match up better. In Chapter 54, it was just the ending, and in Chapter 55, I tweaked a few lines of dialogue. (:__________________________________Chapter 56:No Glory LeftThe field was still in the wake of the charge. Campfires crackled in t...
Book 1: Chapter 55: The Cost Of Controll
Chapter 55:The Cost Of ControlGrace sat in the waiting chamber above the estate dungeon, sipping tea in silence.The room was quiet, but not peaceful, too many thoughts stirred behind her still expression. The porcelain cup clicked softly as she set it back onto its saucer, her gaze drifting to the h...
Book 1: Chapter 54: The Smile Behind The Door
Chapter 54:The Smile Behind The DoorThe door shut behind the fat merchant with a loud clang. Grace sat in silence, still poised in her reception chair, legs crossed, one delicate hand resting thoughtfully on the armrest. Her other hand still held the teacup, now cold, but she hadn’t noticed.Not ba...
Book 1: Chapter 53: In The Name Of Grace
Chapter: 53In The Name Of GraceIt had been an intense week for Saren Holt.Everything had to be flawless. Every letter sent through back channels. Every name scrubbed from manifests. Every whisper paid to vanish before it reached Valewick ears. Not even his best traders knew the full shape of his pla...
Book 1: Chapter 52: On A Spirit's Whim
Funny thing—I just realized that in the last few chapters, I accidentally called Valewick "Velwick" a couple of times. I already fixed it on RR since you can do that with one click and update all the wrong names. But it's a lot more work here, so sorry if it causes any confusion! Then ...
Book 1: Chapter 51: Running To Ruin
Chapter 51:Running To RuinThe week had passed in a blur of wind, stone, and blood.Ronan stood high on the battlements of the mountain fortress, boots braced against the ancient parapet, watching the gray dawn spill over the narrow ford below. It had been seven days since his column took this positio...
