The Forged King

Why did the Forged King take longer than the others to finish?

Chapter structure mostly. There was a pattern to the POVs which I stuck to. This meant if I wanted to get all the events in an order that made sense for the characters, I had to fudge things a little and go with a higher chapter count.

Due to chapter size though, it’s actually not the longest story on the site. That goes to The Strangers of Precedent with a little under 20k more words, but 3 less chapters.

Will the next book have the same chapter structure?

No! The Forged King: Flames of War will feature multiple POVs per chapter with a more chronological structure, along with more POVs overall.

Who will the new POVs be?

While I’m open to adding more, the current newcomers are Ava, Tessa, Anarri, Pippa, Veilia, Avery, Singe, Aura, and Oak. All have made appearances or mentions in the story already, so look forward to greater depth for these characters.

Will the edited version be as strict with chapter structure?

No, things will end up more chronological with smaller chapters, and we’ll be adding scenes from the POVs for the next book. Enjoy scenes from the Wizard Academy, the politics of Renue, and allies in Draconis.

We know Lotus and their siblings are Ivy and Garret’s children, but who’s Skylar’s other parent? Marina married Ingvi, and Ava seems to be on the outs with Reuben.

Maybe you’ll find out eventually.

Why was Mirsham so protective of Marina?

Maybe you’ll find out eventually.

Where did Reuben go?

Earth.

Will we meet any familiar Earth-based characters from Reuben’s POV?

One or two.

When were each of the characters born?

So Magek uses a different calendar (Same amount of days though, by complete coincidence) than the Gregorian one, featuring four months repeated each season (Lunno, Diron, Aira, Tethe), which are each 22 days long, alongside a few intercalary dates.

Gareth and Reuben were born on the 3rd of Autumn Lunno, which would correlate to late September on our calendar, in the third year of Solam’s reign.

Marina was born on the First of Winter Diron in the first year of Clarisse’s reign, making her about 3 seasons older. Her birthday would be closer to mid-January, I think.

Ivy was born on Summer’s Start (day before the 1st of Summer Lunno, roughly mid-June) of the 4th year of Oleander’s reign. She’s about a year younger than Garret and Reuben.

I’ll have dates for each of the other characters after Book 2

Have any of the characters from the Elementals been born?

Certainly none of the main cast have been born yet. Sebastien “Burns” Tyrain, who appeared in the first story for a bit, has been born, but already lives on Earth.

Who are all the rulers at the moment?

Sovereign Odde Callein of Avalon, chosen by their predecessor for their plebeian wisdom, is searching for someone with more noble experience but worthwhile integrity for their own successor.

Dragon Lady Veilia Errsin of Draconis, granddaughter of the last Dragon King, took over from her late fathers, expects to pass on the duty to the next Dragon Monarch some time in her reign.

Phoenix King Solam Phoenix of Phoenix. Ascended shortly after being discovered, planning to keep his position until the next Phoenix appears, initially to waive the pressure to find a different partner, then to avoid putting Reuben under any pressure.

Prime Minister Muna Larian of Armath, head of the party typically more subservient to Ilva, but has successfully negotiated for less Ilvan manipulation in their government system… in exchange for sending more troops for Ilvan forces. She won’t step down until someone else is elected.

Queen Oleander Silva of Ilva has passed, but was the oldest child of King Quercus and Consort Coral (originally Minerian). Public sentiment assumed the title would pass to her oldest child, Oak, but as you know, it passed to Ivy, the fourth child better known for her scholarship than her leadership abilities.

Queen Clarisse of Mineria, ascended by typical ceremony after her father became too frail to continue the traditional combat. Plans to pass the title down to her elder child, Neri, though he hasn’t gained the support of the major factions.

King Gandr of Renue, took over the throne after his brother and sister-in-law’s mysterious passing. Plans to pass the throne to his son, Ingvi, but keeps his nephew Anarri close to push Ingvi toward excellence, or replace Ingvi should the need arise.

Can we get a preview of the next book?

Here’s the first scene (right to edit reserved):

Reuben stumbled out of the flames around him. Luckily none of the nearby trees caught fire. He let go of the stone, and it crumbled to dust, much of it sticking to his hand.

It was cold here. He hadn’t expected it to be cold, though maybe the cold was just from putting enough energy into a teleportation stone to reach Earth. He was shivering now.

He suddenly lost the grip of one of his feet, falling to the ground.

It wasn’t terribly hard, but that didn’t make it soft either. Something wet was touching the backs of his hands, and had probably made his clothes a mess. All the more fitting for a runaway prince.

“What dangers do you bring?” a woman’s voice asked. He almost confused it for his mother’s, but the woman was too pale for that, and her deep crimson hair was too straight.

“I will not let you die,” the woman said, “It’s unwise to let royalty die until you know what trouble they bring.”

How did she know he was royalty?

“Your thoughts are loud,” she revealed.

Reuben tried to roll away as she grabbed him. Away from one mind mage and into the arms of another.

“I’m not a mage,” the woman said, as she effortlessly lifted him, “And I will not harm you if I do not have to.”

That wasn’t very comforting. Who was this woman?

“You may call me Sara,”