Aranée 49: Charting a New Course by NetWorthy
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Description
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Aranée was surprised by the early morning arrival of fresh Jobil soldiers and wagons from the castle.
Jobil's healer came with them and treated the wounded men. She approached him and confided her condition, wanting to know how to properly care for herself and her unborn child. Surprised, he briefly examined her in the cottage, congratulated her and gave her basic care instructions.
They finished loading the wounded into the wagons and the entire column returned to the castle without incident.
The usually reserved Bellikor excitedly met them in the library. He showed them a number of books he had brought back, some in Quenya, others in Sindarin. He had been using them to research Aeriteuin and decipher the Quenyan language. But with a dramatic flair, he unrolled a large yellowed Elf map that included all of Aeriteuin as well as large parts of the northern, eastern and western kingdoms that bordered it. He waited with twinkling eyes. "Do you see it?" Aranée and Galen exchanged glances, then shrugged and shook their heads. "Look again. Concentrate on the Jobil-Aeriteuin border."
Aranée found it. Nestled in the far northern reaches of Jobil lands, near the junction of the Lonesh River and the Packran Mountains, was a small Sindarin inscription: "Western Pass."
There was a curt knock on the door and Lord Jobil joined them. After a spirited discussion, he announced another expedition to enter the fortress - this time through the new pass.
Jobil continued, "You will stage from the hunting lodge. Set up a small camp there until you are ready to go. This route is in our own lands, but we will send more soldiers this time - one of them will be Mubela." Aranée raised an eyebrow. "And we want all preparations completed within two weeks." He looked at her with steady eyes. "You will not be able to travel in another eight weeks or so."
With flushed cheeks and neck, she looked into his eyes unflinchingly, a hard edge to her voice. "A bit more of this and I could get paranoid. First you charter a secret mission concerning me; Mubela tells you about the ambush; your healer tells you about my child..." Her Elf guards shifted uneasily but she calmed them with a reassuring look and small shake of her head.
Lord Jobil sighed. "Yes, you are right - and I am sorry." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You are headstrong and independent - and that makes you very difficult to protect." The Elf warriors exchanged silent glances. "You are Elf royalty, and... a member of MY family now as well." His eyes softened and he quietly continued, "Your child is my grandchild." He caught the guard's eyes as he softly continued. "You and the child must be protected at all costs."
The Elf guards exchanged another glance, and stood just a bit taller behind her...
--- TO BE CONTINUED!
View episodes in sequence for the entire story.
Still reeling with too many personal things on my plate and trying to clear up backlogged work. I promise to visit your galleries though as soon as I come up for air...
Please leave a comment yea or nay, your words mean a lot to me. Your encouragement truly gives me the energy to carry on...
Image and story © 2010 by Larry Hodge
Comments (24)
momof4rugrats
GREAT STORY SO FAR!! LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!
magnus073
Wonderful job on this one Larry, love the story and the scene is so well done
Tholian
Nicely done so far. Continue.
Faemike55
Whoa! Great scene and installment!
restif
Great cast! I'm liking them more and more. Well done!
RJS
Nice to see another installment! I wait impatiently for each one, lol. This is a really well assembled scene, Larry. It fits the story perfectly. Can't wait to see how this expedition turns out. Keep 'em coming!
puffle_huff
Great job with the story!!
Cimaira
Wonderful chapter! Excellent image, the lighting is really fantastic!
LivingPixels
beautifully illustrated work my friend excellntly told story!! fits together so well!!
Minda
excellent scene and Great lighting larry..
lyron
Great scene!!!
PhilW
Beautifully done - nicely posed and the small areas of sunlight add a lot to the scene - great job!
jandunne
Love the story and can't wait for the next installment. This scene sets the mood perfectly!
alessimarco
Very nice work on the scene and the story!
bigdadgib
Wonderful render... very nice!!!
Kyronimos
Great scene and composition!
Savage_dragon
Great story telling!! ")
FS
A fantastic and complex scene with a great composition!!!Very creative work!!!
2Loose2Trek
Excellent writing, superb image ... amazing how the two result in a seamless whole. Well done.
LBJ2
Great story and composition, Larry. Amazing work on the light of this scene. Very good posing work on all the characters too.
brewgirlca
I like the discovery of a lost mountain pass - I can well imagine the excitement of such a discovery. Only 8 weeks puts a very tight crunch on the story. Secret passes have changed the course of history - like how the Spartans were betrayed when a secret pass was revealed to the Persians. A small suggestion... how about an image of the map, if possible? I would like some clarification of geography.
myrrhluz
Wonderful interaction in narrative and image! Excellent expressions. I like the expressions being exchanged by the guards, Aranée's challenging expression, and Jobil's conciliatory one. Very interesting developments! Beautiful lighting! I like the sun coming in through the grating. Terrific episode!
cjoe
The interior lighting is very beleviable..congrats!!
kasalin
Wow ! An awesome work and story, dear Larry :)