Weekend Writing Warriors: Snippet 85- Lennart
Itβs time for Weekend Writing Warriors! Every Sunday, a bunch of writers post 8-10-sentence snippets from their WIPs on their blogs. Thereβs a lot of reading, commenting and great writing. Click on the link to see the full list.
Hammer of the Gods is sooo close to being done! ARC copies should go out sometimes next week. If you’re interested in getting one, you can sign up here.Β You can see the blurb below the snippet.
You met King Lennart of Estenor a few weeks ago, when he was asking Gwynneth’s advice on how to keep fromΒ intimidating his young bride. Now he’s got the bride-Raysa- and is trying to bond with her. Unfortunately, theyΒ have very little in common, and she’s painfully shy. Lennart’s making an effort, so he’s gone into the garden, where Raysa is playing the lute, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting. Slightly edited.
He took a seat on a cushion across from Raysa and gave an encouraging nod. Raysa met his eyes briefly, then went back to playing. When she finished, Lennart said, βVery nice,β though it had just been a lot of tinny, mournful plucking. Not the least bit merry, like the drinking songs he enjoyed. HeΒ turned to the ladies and said, βIβd like to speak to the queen alone.β
They scurried out of the pavilion, exchanging meaningful glances. He wondered how he might get rid of them for good. Perhaps he could draft them into the military.
βIβm sorry,β Raysa said, when the others were out of earshot, though they still stood far too close for his liking, staring and whispering. βTheyβre dreadfully silly.β
Looks like they might have found some common ground!
Previous snippets are here.
Hammer of the Gods blurb:
A war-ravaged continent. An epic battle for power. An endless chain of betrayals . . .Β
In her quest for dominance, Teodora will destroy everything in her path.Β
Kendryk and Gwynneth enjoy their reunion and look to the future, laying plans to regain their home. But all their hopes rest on King Lennart’s invasion.
Determined to overthrow Teodora and everything she stands for, Lennart finds himself thwarted by an unlikely opponent as he gathers allies. While he struggles to gain the upper hand, Teodora must repay a debt which will alter her life forever.
Unmoored in his grief, Braeden risks everything in an ill-fated bid for revenge; Anton struggles to make a new life for himself while forced to fight for the enemy;Β and Elektra gathers her forces, determined to be Empress somedayβ if she can survive long enough.
The Desolate Empire, Christina Ochsβ epic fantasy series, continues in Book 3: Hammer of the Gods.
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I wish him luck in winning her luck. She strikes me as being like a shy but not hostile kitten who needs careful handling.
You’ve summed her up really well!
Draft them into the military? I’m sure that would work, but… LOL Great excerpt! π
They probably wouldn’t enjoy the training very much. π
I loved hsi thought about drafting them into the military. Nice character-building there. Christina!
Thank you!
Excellent characterisation, Christina. I love how he is such a manly man, trying to be gentle and more refined to woo his lady to be.
Thank you! They’re so mismatched in personality, but he’s really trying to make it work.
Precious. Really great insight into both characters. Great writing!
Thank you!
Terrific character building, as ever. I absolutely LOVE his thought revelation in that middle paragraph: whimsical, cynical, and yet still terribly dangerous!
Thank you! I see Lennart as a friendly, but not-quite-tame lion.:-)
As if Lennart doesn’t have enough on his hands with a looming war he needs to take the lead in, now he’s got a skittish bride. But he’s a dear, approaching her like this. And her ladies, well, with war preparation on his mind, that’s a natural thing to pop into his head, right?? π
Marcia
Yes, he can always use more soldiers! π
Sounds like we might have another power couple in the making. I love how you bring your characters to life with a few deft strokes.
Haha, I’m working on the power couple bit. Raysa still has to gain some confidence.
That’s the problem with being a King. You are forced to marry for dynastic purposes, and the characters aren’t always well-matched (as we found out in the recent past in England). However, it looks as though Lennart is making the effort to get along. Love his idea of drafting the ladies into the military to get rid of them.
Yes, it’s a tough situation, but necessary in his case. His heart’s in the right place at least.
Draft them into the military? Excellent idea, that made me smile π And it sounds like his new bride might not be too troubled by that either.
Sounds like they’re both trying to find a way to meet in the middle. Not a very promising relationship though. Interesting snippet!
Yes, it’s hard to make an arranged marriage work.
Shy but intelligent!
I love her remark! Unexpected, as I imagined she was happily using them as a shield. I loved his thought about shipping the ladies off to the military to get rid of them for good, LOL!
Yes, it turns out she didn’t get to choose her attendants.
I am sure she surprised him with her comment at the end. He might find it easier to bond than he thought.
Yes, it helps to have a little something in common.
I like how he’s trying to be polite, even though he didn’t like her music.
Yes, he’s definitely trying to make this work.
Love it! Draft them,indeed. Great job creating this awkward,hopeful moment,Christina!
Thank you!
He has his hands full, doesn’t he?
He sure does!
Wonderful characterization! Loved it!
Thank you!
I love Lennart. π Also, I just read the blurb for Hammer of the GodsβΒ it’s awesome! I’m really excited to read it! π
Coming your way very soon! π
It might work better to have them go away if she dismisses them. Or maybe she prefers to still have them around.
Love this exchange between the characters, and that even she finds the ladies silly. π Great snippet
Love his musical criticism. I wonder what it sounds like to everyone else… But at least they found one piece of common ground.
I like to think she’s pretty accomplished- he just doesn’t appreciate it. π
I’m glad she sees them for what they are, and I absolutely love him for being so considerate of her, especially when he has his hands full with a war. Fabulous story and snippet.
I have been to a few performances where your description is perfectly accurate – lot of tinny, mournful plucking.
Haha- me too!