King's Warrior Read-Along: Chapter 3
Good evening, dear Reader and welcome back to the read-along! I hope you are having as much fun as I am.
Oh dear, yesterday's chapter is such a hard one to read. It's even harder now, because when I wrote the book, I didn't have children of my own... now that I do... sob.
Growing up, I didn't see my parents cry very often. But every now and then, while reading us a particularly good book or watching a particularly good movie, I would see my dad get choked up. It wasn't always during a sad part of the story, sometimes it was just during an incredibly beautiful or powerful moment. I came to associate this response with expert story-telling. Thus, I can definitely understand what Anne of Green Gables meant when she said, "I prefer to make them cry." If I see that sort of response, I know I've done my job well.
In these opening chapters of King’s Warrior, there are really several story-lines happening simultaneously, though a few of them are about to intersect in the next chapter.
We pick up the story with Brant, right where we left him - who becomes more mysterious and intriguing by the minute. In this chapter we discover that not only has his house been burned to the ground, but so have all of his neighbors, leaving him the sole survivor in Peak’s Shadow.
“I know who you are, and I will find you!” How does Brant know who the murderer is? When I wrote the first draft, I had no clue how I was going to end the book. Brant sort of took over the story from me for a while, and I had NO idea where he was going with it. It's exasperating, writing a story when your characters know more than you do. It all worked out in the end, but it definitely taught me the value of outlining! (If nothing else, it helps keep my pesky characters under control!) I had an inkling that Brant was connected to The Dark Country in some way... but I was pretty fuzzy on the details.
The Box. And then there is the mysterious box that Brant buried who knows how many years ago. It holds an interesting assortment of objects, doesn’t it? The sorts of objects we would expect to find in the possession of a warrior, not a rancher.
Yole - who has heretofore been wandering around aimlessly, but has just stumbled across something quite intriguing, but, like the main role of the story, this is also not meant for his hands.
“The message was clear: he could look, but he was not allowed to touch this strange sword.”
“I only answer questions that I am asked, I don’t read minds.” Who is this strange, robed old man? He has a sort of persnickety sense to him, and yet I get the feeling that he is also amused by the situation. I wonder if we ever meet this particular character again? He recounts the story of King Llian... aha! now we know what that prologue thingy was all about!
Finally, we have the travelers, who have finally made it to the Mountains of Dusk.
“I’ll get up when I’m good and ready.” Oh dear, I fear that Oraeyn gets his morning grumpiness from me. I am not a morning person at all. I also love to make my audience laugh, and hopefully many of you are chuckling over the various repartee's between Kamarie and Oraeyn.
Breakfast. I'll be honest, in the first draft of this story, I did not often mention what foods were being specifically eaten. However, one of my first editors was pregnant, and many of her comments revolved around this missing aspect of the tale. I received my manuscript back with her notes in the margins saying things like, "What are they eating?" "Mmm, now I'm hungry." and "I like cheese." A little random, but it did make the editing a bit more fun... and I determined to add in more specifics about the food, just for her.
Ham, biscuits, and fruit might seem like a bit of a gourmet breakfast for three travelers on the road, but please remember that Darby is one of those travelers. I can't see her being too eager to eat granola bars (or the medieval equivalent) all day, or... heaven forfend! to allow Princess Kamarie to do so!
“He was quickly getting tired of Kamarie’s jokes, and he was also tired of being surrounded and outnumbered by women... all two of them.” Poor Oraeyn. Don’t worry, help is on its way!
“...he heard a sound.” But not before we take a slight detour... you see, Oraeyn has a heritage he knows nothing about... and it’s about to catch up with him.
Exciting stuff!
Discussion Questions:
- Are you an early bird or a night owl?
- What do you like to eat for breakfast?
- I’m fairly certain none of us has ever heard a haunting melody nobody else could hear that pulled us towards our destiny.... but have you ever had a passion for something that was so strong nothing could deter you from it? Or perhaps like Darby you have seen that sort of passion in someone else, and felt a kind of sorrow because you had never felt that way yourself?
- Do you think the old man was really a dragon?
- Have you ever become good friends with someone who, when you were first getting to know them, just annoyed the snot out of you?
See you tomorrow!