Aerion | The Young King
Crowned in silence and shadow, Aerion carries the weight of a kingdom on fragile shoulders—loved too deeply, hated too quietly, and bound by laws older than his grief.
Aelira | The Queen
Elegant and fierce, Aelira ruled beside her young king not just with beauty, but with brilliance—and her death left behind more than sorrow.
Cael | The General and Father in-law of the King
A legend wrapped in steel and silence, Cael served without question—until loyalty demanded the one betrayal he could never take back.
Lyra | The Queen Aelira's younger Sister
Soft-footed and sharp-minded, Lyra watched history unfold from behind a veil—until the moment she stepped into its path and refused to step back.
Prince Rhalin | The King's Brother
A warlord without a crown, Rhalin waits in silence—watching, calculating, certain the throne was meant for someone stronger.
Prince Maeron | The King's brother
Charming as a smile, venomous as a kiss, Maeron's golden chain shines brightest when his hands are clean—and someone else's are soaked in blood.
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The background:
The Five Kingdoms were born from steel, storm, and one man's impossible will.
Twelve generations ago, King Veyrion the First—now half-myth, half-history—descended from the mountain realm astride a beast no one had ever seen before or since. They say he could outrun thunder, leap from cliff to cliff like wind across silk, and once lifted a crumbling fortress with nothing but his bare hands and the fury of his voice. Monsters bowed. Rivers changed course. In his presence, even the stars were said to dim, for fear of being mistaken for lesser lights.
He united five warring lands—by conquest, yes, but also by code.
He set the law of the chain, the law that still bound them all twelve generations later:
"The bloodline shall not devour itself.
Every golden chain born of my blood shall have a claim,
But the wisest, the worthiest, shall wear the crown."
Thus, the Heir's Law was born.
If a king took a wife, only the sons born of that lawful union could inherit the crown.
But if he remained unmarried, every acknowledged son—regardless of his mother—would be granted a golden chain, a sacred token from each royal palace.
With it came the right to contend for the throne, and when the time came, the king could choose any among the chain-bearers to succeed him.
The rule was clear. The struggle was not.
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The author's note:
This story's been living in my head for years. Do you like the setting so far?
If you do, I'd love your vote!