St. Charles and the Children from the Sun

ArDeeBurger | historical | On going

This story is a tale classic in its tragedy, about the foibles of Man and how he destroys the things he loves, all to prove himself superior over the Universe. In a quest to defeat Hilter during Wold War II, Winston Churchill and Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt barter with a race of serpents who come from outer space. There are a few inconveniences for the leaders of the West when dealing with these creatures. For one, they can't even talk to them, for the aliens 'speak' by manipulating light. But in exchange for the knowledge of how to build an atomic bomb, all the monsters want from us is to live in peace at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What could go wrong with that? * * * This story is my entry in The Royal Road Community Magazine Contest * * *

5.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 14:59

The Czarina's Buccaneer

Michael Regal | historical | Complete

RELEASES EVERY MONDAY AT 18:30 CST ----- After suffering the torments of slavery, the destruction of his nation, and the massacre of his band of brothers, Rodion Kazansky craves revenge and yearns for the freedom owed to him as a proud Cossack. A lost horse and a chance meeting with the Catherine the Great set him off on a journey that will take him from the steppes of the Crimea to the beaches of the Gold Coast of Africa and back again. There he will face British slavers, pirates, and the ghosts of his past to become the bane of his enemies as the Czarina's Buccaneer. ----- DISCLAIMER: This novel acknowledges the fact that the Cossacks, and the Ukrainian people by extension, are unique and not simply a "different variety of Russians." The main character views the Russians as "moskal foreigners" and does not see himself as one. This also acknowledges the fact that the czarina deprived many of the Cossacks of their freedom, something that the main character resents.

49.81 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:44

The First Wizard

Scripts_313 | historical | Complete

Thalon has been a monk his entire life. He worshiped and served the Gods whose magic wards off the dangers to the world of Vaelia. He believed their promise that the hardships of life will be rewarded with salvation upon death. Then he learns the truth. The source of their magic is the souls of the dead. Fueled with burning rage at this deception, he learns to evoke magic from his soul and, determined to reveal the lie told to all of Vaelia, he escapes their Palace. Now Thalon faces hostile priests seeking to maintain order; weary peasants who don't want to know about the machinations of the Gods; and daring legions wishing to use magic for domination, even at the cost of their souls. Thalon comes to realize that not everyone shares his idealism and that mortal ambition can be far more dangerous than celestial tyranny.

46.91 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:42

Blood in the Wilderness

Octavius Minimus | historical | Complete

When a company hiking trip is hijacked for a mad scientist's experiment, things begin to turn strange when a hiker suddenly disappears and others begin to show remarkable new abilities. The search to discover the truth behind these events is complex...and dangerous.

35.36 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:42

My Gentle Alpha

LAJistics | historical | Complete

Alea was once a soldier. However her life came to a tragic end during a mission. Lying in the target's desolate hideout, her body broken and mangled looking at the corpses of her comrades. She wished she could have one more chance to live. It seems something answered her wish! But when Alea opened her eyes again she soon understood that she was no longer in her original world. Follow Alea along her journey in this new world, where she has some "big" changes to accept about herself. Though I'm sure that her fiance will help her accept these changes. https://ko-fi.com/lajistics patreon.com/LAJistics

16.25 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:42

Gonzo on Dead Air

deepfriedtails | historical | Complete

"All liars are angels and devils, and none quite fair as those under direct control of the puppeteer." Welcome to the Era of Progress! The turn of the century could not have been more grand. Prosperity has reached this corner of the world, and rapidly gaining steam as it builds into a world where every man a king, but no one wears a crown. Life for the everyman is great, family life is great, and everyone is happy! All for the good of a society. People all over the world are coming to this country to build better lives. After all, this country was built on the foundation of liberty and justice, and who wouldn't want the taste of the dream? "Tear down the old world, build a new world," as they say. Cover art - Disparate de miedo by Francisco Goya. Updates intermittently What to expect: A story about people running away.

15.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:41

On the Subject of Death

S.nuffles | historical | Complete

Matthieu de Laval, a Capitaine in the Holy European Legions lies in hospital. After a heroic last stand at a stronghold along the Ninth Holy Crusade's front line, he escaped, missing his left arm and most of his Company. Despite a short-lived respite in the form of his nurse, Andrea Moretti, he is soon assigned a ceremonial position in rural former France. With a spare set of clothes, a toothbrush and a sidearm, he arrives in the sleepy mountain town of Melone, still skeptical of his new, Vatican subsidized life. There he meets a young girl, C閘ine Allard, the baker's daughter and the town's youngest Deathseer. As a shepherd of the dead and traveler of the many worlds along the Great Tower's spiral staircase, C閘ine Allard knows death intimately and more importantly, the truth behind immortality and salvation. As the war continues, the Great Tower destabilizes and the worlds fall into disarray, in turn only worsening the casualties of the Ninth Holy Crusade. C閘ine pleads for his help in its repair, and he begrudgingly obliges. Brushing close to death once more, yet in a completely different sense, Matthieu learns the value of such myths as immortality and eternity and distills them into a letter. On what, exactly? Well, it isn't very creative.

16.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:41

The Saga of Geir Røshjert

Unraed | historical | Complete

"His name will never be sung, son. Skalds and bards like me will never tell his stories to the mass. But only us and us alone will keep telling his story, his actions, his saga. For he is the man who started all of this." This is a story no man in Lumenter will ever hear, no man except for an Arnesen, for his stories are dull and generic to the ears of the masses, except for us, because he is the very reason why our people traveled this far east, why kingdoms in Erisgi fell and rose, why I... even existed in the first place. He is Geir, son of Arne, called 'the Stranger' by the people. But what he truly is, is a fiery red heart that beats inside every Eyklandian, Arnesen, and me. R鴖hjert (My Submission for Royal Road's Writing Competition in June 2022)

10.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:40

Love Among the Gifted

Dr_Nemo | historical | Complete

Pride & Prejudice & Superpowers! In this England the gifted have ruled since the Norman's invaded. How will a series of unexpected attacks in Meryton shortly after the Assembly impact Elizabeth and Darcy? This is a different look at canon with the addition of powers, politics, adventure, and espionage. But the heart of our story is still the rough road to romance for our dear couple. The story is complete.

55.73 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:40

For My Next Trick...

LynaForge | historical | Complete

At twenty-four, Mason Chamberlain had it all. When scandal leaves him with a broken heart, not much could make him believe in love again...until the new governess for his eight-year-old sister arrives. He's drawn to her. Despite Mason's good lucks and coveted status, he can't break through her chilly facade. She wants nothing to do with a duke's son. It slowly becomes clear to him that she's running from her past. Her secret puts his family in jeopardy, but is this love worth the risk?

28.68 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:39

Lolly

JoyceMatula | historical | Complete

[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Lolly lives in time. It is where she has always lived...for now. Now is a peculiar state of existence because one now leads to another now. Lolly is not quite sure where the next now will take her, but it will take her somewhere.Now, Lolly lives in Texas. It is where she has always lived. It is 1975. She has her own quiet dreams and her own personal challenges, like we all do.

58.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:39

Ravyn's Nights - Book 2

Janelle Walden | historical | Complete

Claire's life led her to love. Love led her to death. Death began her eternal struggle to retain both her love and her humanity through 5 centuries of endless nights. Book 2 covers the 18th century. "Ravyn's Nights" is a six book series, with each book covering a different century. Book 6 was actually started first, and it takes place in the near future, bringing the story to a final conclusion. I then started writing the rest of the series when I decided that I wanted to share the details of the life that made her into who she is in Book 6. At the time of posting the first chapter of the series, books 1-2-3 are completed and books four, five and six are in various states of completion. There is currently a novella following a side character that does include a few crossover chapters featuring the main character. The novella will be included in the completed versions of books 4 and 5.

79.91 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:38

Echoes Of Memory

M-Anthony-Harris | historical | Complete

Vealand's jewel twin cities of Portin and Brinhold fell to terror fourty years ago. During their fall a man rose up and saved them. He took the survivors of the fall of the Veaish coast and brought them inland, setting up his new empire inland in the mountain stronghold of Fiell. The Emperor singlehandedly saved the people of Vealand. Everyone knows that and everybody in Vealand adores him as a hero and the savior of their nation. Dren though, says differently. As a Memory Mage and the leader of the Rebellion, he's desperate to prove that the Emperor is a false savior. He bets his life on it. He fails that bet and fails in his last attempt at transfering his memories into the mind of one of the Emperor's Inquisitors. Now it's up two the two most unlikely people, Aris Ravenscroft, the head of Fiell's city guards and Kestrel, a street rat, to save Vealand from a monster that it worships as a savior. Notice, this is a High Fantasy novel, there are no LitRPG or Cultivation elements in it.

92.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:35

Prometheus

H F J Ballard | historical | Complete

A loose retelling of the story of Prometheus. They say that with the wheel and money the greatest thing man got was fire. The god we got to steal this funny red-orange burning wood or (pot) was tired of being comfortable alone and cried for cold men down below, and so he stole the warm-lit red orange glow& or tried or did, but all he got, for his effort was caught.

21.63 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:34

The Oresteia (Modernized)

HAXX0RZ | historical | Complete

All three of the great Greek Tragedians have written plays about the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Yet theirs is in fact not a story of tragedy, but rather one of redemption. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration to be heard throughout the ages. Forming a discourse set against the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, the Orestian plays are compelling stories of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society. In the beginning, we witness how a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution. In the aftermath of regicide, we behold how a son must set out to avenge his father's death by committing a most egregious sin. In the end, the sinner is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased, but ultimately finds redemption and ends the curse on his house once and for all. Woven through all of this is the story of a friendship so close that it elevates itself to brotherhood - Where the blood of the covenant is shown to be indeed thicker than the water of the womb. In this very brief twelve-chapter modern rendition of the Orestian plays, I have chosen to place my focus mainly on the lives of the characters Orestes and his best friend Pylades. The chapters, each around 2000-2500 words, are split up evenly between them in first-person narrative. I hope that you will come to enjoy reading this heartwarming story, but more importantly, that you see how the conflicts portrayed in the story, whether human or institutional, are still much very relevant to our societies today. Note on Sources: The details of this story is very loosely based on The Oresteia by Aeschylus. And I mean very loosely. Other sources that I referenced for detail and inspiration are Mythology by Edith Hamilton, Electra by Sophocles, and Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides. You may also find that I have quoted some of these works, and others (such as Shelley's Ozymondaeus), without citations (average of 1-2 such quotes per chapter). I did this because I do not have the ability to describe certain scenes nearly as well as some of those writers. If you read a particularly beautiful piece of prose here, chances are it's probably stolen lol. Also, I wrote this during the summer between my high school senior year and my college freshmen year. It was the summer of 2020, and being quarantined apparently gets my creative side out lol.

15.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:30

Satisfaction Earned

KimberlyEAB | historical | Complete

Blood is spilled in 17th century France as a nobleman confronts the man he believes defiled his sister. However, the culprit is not who he seems. A tale of bisexuality, gender nonconformity, and polyamory inspired by the infamous life of Julie d’Aubigny, a duelist and opera singer who breached the social norms of her time to express herself and love those she wanted.

1.43 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:29

Other West: Diablero [Completed]

T E Branco | historical | Complete

A complete Otherwest novella. What if the life you want is taken from you? After surviving the brutal slaughter of his naval squadron, Van Bran believed he could escape the world of empires, war, and magic by forging a new life on the American frontier. As a rancher, Van's life was simple, quiet, and far more peaceful. But when Van and his drovers come face to face with an ancient evil vying for control of the New World, a life of peace may be forever outside his grasp. Unless Van can take up arms once more and face the terrors of his past, he and his friends will serve as spiritual hosts to demonic skinwalkers. Enter the Other West... Follow, read, and comment today! Thank you for reading.

26.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:29

KINGDOM RISE, CASTING CROWNS: Your Way Called Peace (ACT I)

sumo0093 | historical | Complete

***THANK YOU TO MY FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EDITS AND ACT I IS COMPLETED AT THIS TIME. ACT II DOES NOT HAVE A DATE OF RELEASE YET BUT IT IS BEING WORKED ON WITH LOVE!!!*** Check out the book trailer with the original soundtrack I composed for the story HERE!!! QUOTE FROM TRAILER: "A tale that was hushed and concealed by the heavens during the final days of the seven warring states of China. Here, in plain words, resonates a love with such fleeting beauty like that of a plum blossom, and fellowship with such force in grace and perseverance like that of a heron." The novel is written in third person in the views of Ying-tai and Xiu Juan who are lovers. Both descendants of Qin, they are separated by the unfortunate events that take place during the 7 Warring States of China and they fight from opposite ends of the world to reunite. In their trials, they are tested against all that they know and the fine line that once divided mankind disintegrates as camaraderie is found amongst the known enemy. OST Track 1: Prayer *PLEASE NOTE: The illustrations in the story do not belong to me. They were artworks done by other amazing artists that inspired me to write what I wrote and to create the characters in the story. Most of the photos shown in the chapters were done by one of my favorite illustrators, Ibuki Satsuki (CHECK OUT THIS PERSON'S WORK! THEY'RE ALL AMAZING!!!) I greatly appreciate and enjoy all of their beautiful pieces of work!*

121.77 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:49

A Dance of Wyverns

Erien | historical | Complete

A young Scot gets dragged into the wyvern gladiatorial fights of London, and brings down the entire organization in the process.

33.26 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:46

Old Tales Worth Retelling

Mad Sadie | historical | Complete

Most people grew up hearing fairy tales and fables. They're such a part of our cultures that Cinderella has a two-part definition in the Oxford Dictionary, and if someone name-drops Robin Hood everyone instantly knows what they mean. These stories have been told and re-told for literally centuries. In some cases millenniums. So I'm gonna tell them again. Not to "update" them, or because I think I can improve them, but just because I can. Why not. And fair warning: the style of these retellings will be "ditzy catgirl with attention-span problems". I'm not taking these tales seriously, I'm just having fun. Most of these stories will be from HC Andersen, Grimm Bros, or Arabian Nights, because those are the ones I'm most familiar with. If anyone has a specific story they think needs more love, let me know and I'll try to include it! Back when these tales were first penned, "word count" was a foreign concept. So chapter length will probably vary wildly. Sorry. Participant in the Royal Road Writathon.

30.14 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:45