Welcome readers.

For those following The Ballad of Ari and those new to it, this week will offer another world-building entry rather than a chapter. This is for a few reasons:

1. Odyssey underwent some changes recently, and the confusion led to some book chapters being released out of order. This entry will put them into a nice, sequenced compendium once again.

2. There is much to discuss with the current arcs and newer characters.

3. I am trying to regain momentum as a scribe once again. (We all fall into blocks sometimes).

Where the Story Is and Where It Is Headed

The Dragon of Nightingshire is nearing its end. I am in disbelief of this.

When I first started writing this book via Odyssey, I guessed that it would end because I would fall into my usual habit of not finishing a piece. It has not been easy, but I have managed to keep a disciplined deadline of a chapter per week. Though an unorthodox method of publishing, it has helped me do what I thought was impossible for me.

As I said, we are nearing the end of the story, with what I would consider to be the third and final act approaching quickly. Many arcs have been resolved, in a way, and a few have been set in motion. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who have not read but would like to in the future:

- Sir Galen's spy has been revealed to be Ari's trusted ally, Bard. Though Sir Oliver has blamed Barnacle for it.

- The cat is out of the bag for Ari with the Prince, as he now knows her identity.

- The Prince came out to Ari as gay, an unnatural crime in the eyes of the Gods and the Crown.

- Sir Galen knows the Prince's secret.

- The Women In Blue are a sort of spy ring, with Sir Oliver's former love interest, Fatime, in charge.

- The Harvest Festival is underway, a celebration paid for with money stolen from the dragon's lair (supposedly).

- Oliver and Ari believe Lord Gerard to have indirectly caused the dragon's attacks due to the raiding of its lair.

- The dragon has not been seen or heard for weeks.

I am excited for what is to come, as I hope any readers might be as well. The chapters recently written, along with a few that are to be written shortly, were plot points that the book as a whole was structured around. All I can say is that this story does not end quickly, easily or happily.

A Little Extra Mythos

Sir Oliver and Ari ventured to Grand Falls a few chapters back, a castle that houses the Order of Cambria. There, we met the High Eagle (the man in charge), reunited with the subtly racist Tobias Snow, and were introduced the kindly Kellan. These characters will play more into future installments after The Dragon of Nightingshire.

The Order is powerful, comprised of men who have a connection to Osha, a deity they personify onto a supernatural connection they have with the universe. Many of them are capable of subtle magic like telekinesis, though their abilities vary. Men can only become a knight of the Order if they possess these abilities. Ari has already shown promise with this when she used telekinesis on Sir Oliver, and when she sent a boy flying through the air into a tree.

The Order also clearly does not allow women amongst their ranks, a problem that Sir Oliver will have to address sooner rather than later when Ari comes of age.

The Women In Blue are another legion I was excited to create. Faces among the crowd, they are deadly and effective rebels who hide as common maids. Just how far their tentacles reach is a mystery to Sir Oliver thus far, but as the writer of this series, I can assure you that Fatime's small faction is not alone and that their presence in the universe as a whole will be great.

Dragons' mythology varies from culture to culture and from media to media, but the dragons in this particular universe have some commonalities that Ari and Sir Oliver discovered whilst reading. Many centuries before this story, dragons were tamed by mages, who used the beasts to horde troves of gold. This habit of guarding hordes of gold is clearly still evident of dragons in the world at this time. What the characters cannot say for sure yet is whether the beasts are still being tamed by mages (unlikely since the last ones had not been seen for a very long time), or if the dragons live a very long time and still habitually guard treasure as they were taught to. What Ari and Sir Oliver could not find was what they set out to find: how to kill the beasts.

Final Thoughts

This is it. It's all downhill from here. Looking back on a story, the editor in me knows that there will need to be expansions/alterations in future drafts of this story, but for a first draft, it is coming along smoothly. I cannot wait to show readers the final product and the climax to this first book.

Links to all previous chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23