Aranée 25: Royal Bargain Struck by NetWorthy
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Lord Jobil and Galen listened intently as Aranée related her story. She was convinced the abandoned fortress held the key to the disturbing gaps in her childhood memories, her restless dreams - and the whereabouts of her own missing Elvish clan.
After awhile Jobil got up and stood unseeing at the window, tugging at his chin. At length, he said "My dear, we are intrigued by your story and agree with you: That fortress holds many secrets that may resolve any number of issues." She raised an eyebrow, and he turned to face her. "The Disputed Lands and the Aeritan are leaderless. Clearly, this fortress was the original seat of power in your lands. The sooner the mystery of its downfall is discovered, the sooner law and order can be restored to the area." He pursed his lips and paused a moment. "Aranée, when you and Galen return from your trip, you will be our guest while the Lonesh is impassable. The full resources of this castle will be at your disposal to research your fortress and to help you remember some of your past. We have a rather large library here and a very capable and wise learned man to help you utilize it."
Aranée considered this, and then took a deep breath. "Lord Jobil, it is an exceedingly generous offer, but I cannot stay here for several months as your guest. I am not used to being indoors for such long periods, I must care for Kuila, and..." She paused and looked directly into his eyes. "It goes against the grain to accept so much generosity and give nothing in return."
Lord Jobil put his hands on his hips, and threw his head back in a booming, delighted laugh. "Galen, WHERE did you find this one? And are there ANY more like her!" With bright eyes he looked into her startled face and pressed his lips together for a moment, then smiled. "Why yes, my dear, we believe we CAN come to an arrangement. You are a hunter, and winters are our leanest months. If you provide us a reasonable amount of winter game on a weekly basis to help us feed our people, you may have the use of our personal hunting lodge as your winter quarters. Of course our offer of the full resources of this castle still stands. In addition, in the spring we will fund a small party to journey to the Aeritan and help you get into that fortress - a matter of great importance to us all. Do we have an agreement?"
Aranée could think of no other objections, so she smiled and held out her hand. "Most generous my lord. Deal."
Lord Jobil came to her and gently surrounded her hand with two ham-sized fists and held it captive for a moment. "Splendid! And now my dear, we are famished. We want you and Galen to join us for a bit to eat. We have never been across the Lonesh, so the two of you can tell us all about the Disputed Lands and the Aeritan over lunch." Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, he led them out of the chamber with a surprisingly brisk step for such a large man.
--- TO BE CONTINUED!
View the series in numbered sequence to get the entire story.
PLEASE leave your comments or criticisms
- your words keep me going!
Image and story © 2009 by Larry Hodge
Comments (24)
Faemike55
Excellent work and image! I can hardly wait for the next chapter!
joaq
Fantastic job here my Friend!Wonderful scenario!!!
mikeerson
Well, a deep thought for such a shallow mind - that old saying came to mind while looking at your character looking out the window.... I've been commenting for hours a day... I'm telling myself I need to do art instead - lol... so please forgive that I don't read something so long, and please forgive me that I don't know what's happening with your story. I've been trying to get back to my BONDAGE story but there are things that need to happen first.... I want to post the past images together to show the story... I also am thinking about puting it in a slide show so people could understand the story better - I thought I'd say something, I like to try and help others, it's just the way I am, I'm also a wholeass - LOL
jandunne
Very complex rendering and mature style!
brewgirlca
It is a great story Larry and you continue to hold me captive to it. This is a well composed scene and I am delighted that you took a very challenging moment and point of view to illustrate it. The reflections and shadows of the glass and window panes are very well-crafted.
PSDuck
Great render and story. Keep it coming!
magnus073
Nice work on this scene Larry and you really have the character interaction both in your image and in the story setup perfectly
neelzonline
very nice
Cimaira
Wonderful! Fantastic scene composition and I am very much looking forward to the next chapter of the story!
Lilithiel
Great storytelling and fantastic posing.
mgtcs
Excellent scene!
mapps
excellent :-)
densa
great story and scene
restif
Nice characters and I am enjoying the story!
drifterlee
Excellent scene!
Minda
excellent scene and story larry!!
LBJ2
Fantastic render and story, Larry. The character posing really talks on this image. Maybe Jobil knows someting about her past.+5
PhilW
Great image and superb story and character development!
E.Houser
Well conceived and composed!
kdraper
Excellent work.
Kyronimos
Great scene, poses and expressions!
EdKline
All I can say is the editors must be idiots to turn down your stories! Very good comp. and lighting!
amirapsp
Happy New Year! Marvelous work
myrrhluz
Very nice! I like the perspective and Galen's and Aranée's expressions. I'll be back.