I wrote the character of Samor many years ago as the central hero in an epic fantasy tale. Named by combining the name of my first son with ‘armor’ (for strength and an indicator of his future), the story would follow him from childhood into adulthood, where he won back his father’s stolen crown. I set aside the story for years, unsure of its future or, to be honest, what the narrative was beyond that. It was unfocused and unsure whether it wanted to be a Tarantino-inspired tale of violent war or a bedtime book for kids.

In the Autumn 2015, I decided I needed to start writing again. Really writing. For real. My story would no longer be about a boy (with the addition of his little brother, since we had a second child), but it would be about twins. A boy and a girl. Similar to the previous idea, they would be struggling to regain the lost crown, yet now they would be pitted against each other in a world where everyone thought them dead.

Thus, Tildy sprung to life, and she arrived with an energy and optimism that filled an entire book! As such, Samor’s story waited until December 2019. Some of the characters, themes, and story remain from my original manuscript, but wow, has his story taken on a life of its own. He’s no longer just a prince living in his father’s shadow. Both of his parents are dead, and he’s being secretly raised under a dead child’s name by parents who will never love him like the child they lost when they fought for the prince’s freedom.

To the east, his favorite part of the day arrived: Sunrise. The dazzling display turned the airborne ice crystals to fire. A wind snapped his cloak and cleared the sky, though it was a minor exhalation compared to the Winter gales or the violent Shriesk-storms. The icewhistles turned mournful as they sang their own greeting to the sun. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with cold, clean air that bore no scent. It was a fine Winter day, and a finer morning would not be found this year, for a terrible season was on its way.

© Michael Wallevand, June 2021