Talbot Company: A Story of War and Suffering

Michael Regal | historical | Complete

Europe is set ablaze in the fire of war as brother turns against brother, stirred to violence by their corrupt governments and churches. In this time of upheaval, free bands such as the honorable(?) Talbot Company make their name by selling their swords to the highest bidders. The company is a family bound by coin and blood. When a Swedish castle falls to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Talbot Company must venture to the wild lands beyond the Oder River to stop war from breaking out over the ambitions of a rogue Polish colonel. The company attracts all manner of characters, among them an English peasant archer, an impoverished conquistador, and a cross-dressing Italian girl who thinks she has what it takes to hold her own amidst the rigors of war. Read on and find out if they have what it takes to survive this time of war and suffering. ----- If you like what you're reading, please consider buying the complete book. That is the only place where the final chapters will be available. Click here to buy on Amazon Click here to view on Goodreads Click here to buy on Smashwords

40.93 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:31

Wild Child

mrsimple | historical | Complete

A posthuman, dying as the shockwave of a supernova reaches his starship, awakens to find himself in the body of a little girl on ancient Earth — a girl who was just murdered by marauding invaders from another tribe. Written by MrSimpleEdited by Trismegistus Shandy

12.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:31

Fuji

Admiralmonkeyman | historical | Complete

Fuji takes cultural and mythological aspects from eastern society and bundles it with original fiction. Sun goddesses, Elder dragons, and magical powers galore. Further down this page contains minor spoilers, avert your eyes if you wish to read without any predisposed knowledge. With that in mind, let’s go into where we start this story- The sun goddessAmaterasu has gone missing, plunging the earth into eternal night. Beings of darkness and pain have started emerging from the shadows and have been deemed the title Yokai. The shogunate has formed a committee of samurai and swordsmen gifted with the embers ofAmaterasu to slay the beasts of shadow, but their efforts have grown unsuccessful. Ash covers the land as snow. The embers of a forgotten time have died out. All that’s left is us and the dark. *** Main site Discord Vote

78.36 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:44

Journeys in the Fairworld: The Gatekeeper

Jack Twohey | historical | Complete

Lindsey Fluger was only slightly past eighteen. There was nothing particularly special about her, save that she happened to be the right person at the right time. When Lindsey is asked to join an expedition to another world she makes the mistake of saying yes, plunging herself into a sea of perilous adventure and dark intrigue. Journeys in the Fairworld is a fantasy anthology series set in The Fairworld, a magical realm existing in parallel with our own world which is governed by a group elfin beings known only as “The Good Folk”. These mysterious entities work in secret to keep the peace between the myriad of peoples and nations which dwell in The Fairworld. Complex relationships and bitter rivalries emerge against a backdrop of constrained resources and conflicting values to produce a world of high adventure and tangled mysteries. This novel is technically already completed, and I am currently in the final stages of proofing or editing. As such, there may be a few typos and errors here and there. The final version should be about 130,000 words long, which I will be releasing in stages as I continue editing. I'd love to hear your feedback and comments! If you want to read more stories from Journeys in the Fairworld, please checkout “Journeys in the Fairworld: The Brigand of Potham”, which is also available here on Royal Road Legends. https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/19369/journeys-in-the-fairworld-the-brigand-of-potham

74.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:43

Bookwyrm

Lady Siv | historical | Complete

All Griff ever wanted out of life was to be left alone in his library with his books. In order to keep his station in the library, he is forced to work with an upstart alchemist named Nicholas Flamel. When the experiment goes awry Griff and Nick must trek along the countryside to reach the Library of Alexandria. Dodging both African and European armies would be so much easier if Griff wasn't a two-story dragon."

19.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:44

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

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

I'm (Sort of) an Expert on Ghosts

Cho | historical | Complete

Tsunoda Naoki is a ghost expert! Maybe. Okay, not really. He just pretends to be one, scraping a living by putting the easily-spooked at ease. But his luck seems to run out when he's suddenly got a real ghost to deal with. He can't even see this spirit, let alone exorcise her—and to complicate matters further she apparently seems to like Naoki… a lot. Is this ghost hunt a romantic comedy or a tragic horror? Artwork by hachikuro.

45.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:01

5 Threads of Fate

HWPerfidy | historical | Complete

Lin is a Weaver of Fate, someone who can see and weave the Threads of Fate. Her family had always cautioned her to be aware of the boundaries her role imposes upon her, to know that she is merely to watch and witness all that happens. But Lin is not convinced. She will do all she can to write a shining legacy, no matter what Fate has to say about it. (Community magazine contest submission)

9.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:20

The Emperor's Concubine

A Writers Refugium | historical | Complete

The heroine is good and the villainess is evil. That was the absolute truth. That rule was undeniable as well as the fact that only the heroine would receive true love and her happy ending. Likewise, the malicious villainess would always suffer and leave the stage to clear the path for the perfect heroine in the end. So, for Blanche, it felt like her world came crashing around her when she remembered the truth about her life. As the villainess in the typical romance novel "To Be Empress", she was fated to be condemned and abandoned by her lover. No matter how devoted she was to Theodore Estien, the emperor of Artias, she would only be the bratty concubine that would obstruct the heroine, who happened to be Theodore's lawful wife and the empress. In the end, the villainess would be deserted and executed. It was destined to happen like this, and yet she couldn't give up. She had to change the future. Preventing the romance between the main characters would get her killed. Much like trying to steer away from the enemies' intrigues, in which she was already caught up, would. But neither the heroine nor the emperor's political rivals would change the fact that Blanche loved the man that was supposed to be the heroine's. And no matter what happened she would always stay by her lover's side. So she wouldn't just follow the book's storyline and let her own doom arrive. Blanche would survive while trying to suppress all of the selfish desires that had made her the villainess. But was she truly fine with that? Did she not desire more than just surviving? Did she even have the right? Could the villainess ask for a happy end? Was she too brazen if she just wanted to stay with the man she loved and receive his affection? And wasn't there a bit more to this novel than she remembered? She didn't know and in the end that mattered little when the world around her changed with each day as more and more questions about the future and the past arose. *The Profanity tag was added due to the characters' occasional swearing, which should not happen too often.

982.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 13:58

I Married Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer Fanfiction)

Asyouwish0203 | historical | Complete

Time travelled to Taishou Period of Japan, Teru felt very lucky that he got married to such a gorgeous wife. She was perfect, except thatshe couldn't be exposed to sunlight due to a mysterious illness. Her name was Kibutsuji Muzan. Tonight at the street, they bumped into a young, gentle swordsman with unique earrings.

12.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:42

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 Lions of Dawrtaine

Samer Rabadi (aka 3seed) | historical | Complete

Hallon Nilsdotter was born in 1268 and trained in the magics of the shamans of old Sweden. Now, in 1924, she hunts for the Calamity, a prophesied disaster. Along with her spirit allies and the young scientist Milo Rabbit, Hallon forces open a tear in the boundary of their universe to travel to another. An old war has ruined this land, breaking its weather systems, and a new war is brewing between the Untainted and those who show strange mutations. On the run after being identified as abnormal, Hallon and Milo must navigate this new world of machine guns, gas attacks, and fallen spirits. All the while, the Calamity looms over them. ----- The book is complete at 46 chapters, although I may revisit with short stories in the future.

66.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:04

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

Fairystruck

Rhion | historical | Complete

The good neighbors are awake and dangerous for all who cross them. Etain has crossed them before and knows the signs to look out for. Featuring a few different Celtic mythology systems

0.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:30

The Juveniles - Segment 1 (Completed)

JFSA132 | historical | Complete

In the year 2019, Joshua Alo, a college drop-out, has been living the depressing dream, going from place to place around Greece, looking for booze, money, women, and most especially, trouble. However within this seemingly never-ending cycle, a strange man appeared in his life and gives him a second chance to regain back his good life, not knowing the consequences that may happen later on.

14.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:34

Operation Ouroboros

Sobekhotep | historical | Complete

The Kemet Intelligence Agency is tasked with overseeing the Hittite king Muwatalli's northern campaign in Cimmeria and making sure it goes as expected. The mission is vague and simple. Too simple, it appears. [4th short story following the March of Deshret in The Bronze Horus universe.]

6.89 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 11:44

The World That Was

J3P7 | historical | Complete

Planet Earth is broken. Civilisation was plunged back into the Dark Age when the Sun spewed forth the largest solar flare in recorded history. But amidst the ashes, a lone physicist made humanity's greatest scientific breakthrough  time travel. A decade later, the fledgling technology is ready to send a pair of daring pioneers on a one-way journey into the past. When the portal shuts there will be no communication. And no coming back. Even then, Matilda and Harry were enthusiastic volunteers, eager to impart their futuristic knowledge so a subsequent civilisation might mitigate the inevitable celestial cataclysm. But when the inaugural mission goes awry in its opening heartbeats, Matilda finds herself trapped and alone in 12th Century England . She is Chronomad One. Humanity's first time traveller. Check out my website to pre-order a physical copy and see how the book was written, how the cover was designed and how physical copies were hand-bound.

70.48 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:35

B-But I don't WANT to be a protagonist!

Panacea | historical | Complete

Yuri tried, really, but everything conspired against her. Now her peace finally reached an end, and it's up to her to try and get out of the roles the universe gave her."""From childhood friend promises, to beautiful foreign princes, to cute pets and shady items, I shall strike down all those plot flags!"When you hear voices in your head, gods troll you for their enjoyment, and your brother is a stalker, it's easier said than done.-Complete-

65.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:39

Vows of the Wolves

L.P. Candour | historical | Complete

Raoul is the very definition of a typical village boy; he eats, he plays, and he talks to wolves. He doesn't mind the monotonous days in the village and is willing to spend the rest of his life here; however, when soldiers return from a victorious war and have to pass through his village, Raoul will find that there are disagreements to be had regarding not just wolves, but bread as well. Disagreements thereby turn into misunderstandings, and misunderstandings turn into a deadly witch hunt for Raoul and the wolves. Now suddenly, the boy finds that his life is not so typical after all. One question remains: Will he be able to survive in a life turned upside down?

11.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:38