Nemorosis

The Bell Tolls for Me 40: One House, One Hope, One Hardship

Isabella arrived back from her meeting with Felix alongside Valerio. They were chatting amicably as they passed through the double doors to Valerio’s estate, but the duke stopped in his tracks wh...

The Bell Tolls for Me 39: Proof is Hard to Come By

Isabella watched Gaspar walk into her room. Valerio and Randolph were beside her, and still doubt swirled through her mind. She had been very careful in her discussions with Gaspar not to mention a...

The Bell Tolls for Me 38: Forcing the Hand of Gods

Pius sat at the head of the table while his cardinals chatted all around him. Their voices overlapped with one another, all talking about how best to handle this problem. Alistair of Veymont, presu...

The Bell Tolls for Me 37: The Just Shall Live by Faith

Isabella admired the beautiful gray bird perched before her with a red tail of feathers. She moved her head, and it moved with her, roaming side to side. She had been trying to create this spell fo...

The Bell Tolls for Me 36: From Far Afield

Isabella had been expecting that the investigations for signs of pregnancy from the nuns would be very invasive, but it turns out that had been a mistake to assume. They’d been rather intrusive a...

The Bell Tolls for Me 35: Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

Isabella sat beside Duke Valerio—opposite her was Archduke Felix. They haven’t been expecting this arrangement, but the archduke had been waiting outside of the estate when they left it. There ...

The Bell Tolls for Me 34: Magic and its Consequences

Igraine removed her hand from Isabella’s forehead. “Your body is having a negative reaction to the introduction of magic into your system. I told you this might happen, if you recall.”

...

The Bell Tolls for Me 33: Have Faith, Child

This first scene will probably just be part of chapter 32 in the RR release. No need to break them up as I did.
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Magic was a strange thing to manipulate. It was, by its very nature, a fick...

The Bell Tolls for Me 32: Solidarity

“After what happened later that night, I understood,” Abigail said. “I wasn’t in any danger, but you very well could have been. So… you don’t need to apologize,” she finished, her fac...

The Bell Tolls for Me 31: The Bell Tolls for He

Great bells chimed melodically, faintly audible through the open balcony which let in the sea air. Isabella opened her eyes, looking toward the origin of the pleasant noise. Once more, she heard th...

The Bell Tolls for Me 30: A Dove Spreads Her Wings

Underneath the yoke of King Edgar II, things had felt desperate and tightly constrained. Everything had been at its worst, then—there was a sense of impending doom, always, and a certain arbitrar...

The Bell Tolls for Me 29: Should I Stay or Should I Go

Isabella raised the elegant teacup to her lips. It wasn’t tea within, though—it was coffee. She expected a rush of bitter unpleasantness, but it was far different than she remembered it. The bi...

The Bell Tolls for Me 28: Cabinet of Curiosities

Isabella walked through Valerio’s estate, her arm linked with his to provide support. She took light, delicate steps in the soft shoes that he’d brought her. These were perhaps the most comfort...

The Bell Tolls for Me 27: Down By the Shore

Isabella watched the sea from Duke Valerio’s chamber, going through all that she’d learned in her head. She’d donned a more comfortable dress, and Valerio had left her alone with her thoughts...

The Bell Tolls for Me 26: Brave New World

After Isabella had asked where she fit into their designs, there was a period of long silence between Valerio and Roderick. The old butler looked at Duke Valerio for a long time, almost as though t...

The Bell Tolls for Me 25: Maiden Fair in the Pirate Lair

Isabella walked through the gate of Valerio’s estate, looking around. Randolph was right along with her. It was a humbler, quieter place than most ducal estates that she’d visited, but she foun...

The Bell Tolls for Me 24: Peaceful Transfer of Power

“Claude may not like it, but there are certain things that need to be done for smooth succession,” a man said, speaking to a group of armored knights. “The remaining holy paladins are congreg...

The Bell Tolls for Me 23: I Am the State

“It’s indecent. Frankly, I’m disgusted and appalled,” said a prominent nobleman standing near King Edgar. He stayed silent, listening. “Art is meant to pay homage to our betters. And this...

The Bell Tolls for Me 22: Battle of the Brush

“I think that you wouldn’t be disappointed by the evening, Your Majesty,” Isabella said lightly. “A debutante ball is for men as much as it is women. This one in particular has fine art—a...

The Bell Tolls for Me 21: Unconventionality

Isabella stood rigidly before the painting that she’d chosen from among the artists of the city. The Archduke Felix’s estate in the capital was made of marble, and so the splendidly colorful pa...

The Bell Tolls for Me 20: No Word is Law

Igraine took both of Isabella’s hands in her own, and looked her straight into the eye.

“This exercise is dangerous,” Igraine said. “I will be doing the best that I can as your senior...

The Bell Tolls for Me 19: Testing the Waters

“We’ve had some shortfall on taxes in the south,” the treasurer Count Julian said, bringing Edgar to attention.

“What?” Edgar looked over, breaking his silence. All of the council s...

The Bell Tolls for Me 18: Tightening the Noose

The value of art was closely tied to how the connoisseurs viewed the piece more so than the technical talent behind it or other such considerations. In the days of Isabella’s father, Edgar the Gr...

The Bell Tolls for Me 17: Trading in Lives

Duke Albert and Duke Valerio sat across from each other, their faces dimly lit by the chandelier above. Duke Valerio’s estate, perched right by the ocean, had a fantastic view of the ocean. All o...

The Bell Tolls for Me 16: Familiar Feeling

After a great deal of hesitation, Isabella opened the window slightly for the bird once more.

“I apologize for startling you, and for any impropriety that may come with approaching a lady i...

The Bell Tolls for Me 15: The Business of War

Isabella watched the warriors training throughout the wide-open hall that Valerio had taken her to. On the outside, this place looked like a fancy bank. Deep inside, however, countless well-kept wa...

The Bell Tolls for Me 14: Opening the Door of the Birdcage

Isabella looked up at Abigail as they stood in the gardens of the royal palace.

She’s even taller than I remembered, Isabella thought. I suppose I was always looking up at her ...