A Peek into Naminé's Perspective

Klalumpelo! And good morning! It's good to see you again.

Yesterday I listed several questions that you can expect answers to in the Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3. I also verified the intended length of the book. I hope you enjoyed that information and were excited by it because today I have a surprise for you. I've brought you... an excerpt... from Naminé’s perspective!

I don't want to say too much about it, so I'll just give you a little background and let you read. The following clip comes fairly early in the book and sets the emotional stage for the chapter. One thing I particularly enjoy about the portions of  this story told from Naminé's perspective is that you get to really see inside her head. Throughout books 1 and 2, most of what we've gleaned about her personality has been through Zarrys's interpretation. Well, now it's her turn to give us some insights into herself and Zarrys. I know several of you out there have expressed to me the kinship you've felt with Naminé over the passing books, and I hope that getting to take a step inside her mind will help you understand and love her all the more.

I have one favor to ask of you: After you've read the clip, please leave some feedback in a comment below. Whether it be a comment about the text itself, your feelings about exploring other perspectives, or even just a grammar correction (this is a drafting copy after all, and it was transferred to a blog template), I don't mind. I just want to hear your feedback. So, please honor me with that gift.

And with that, let the excerpt begin:

     The warm breeze took Naminé’s flaxen hair for a partner as it danced around the room. The young queen sat in her father-in-law’s floating throne looking up through the open hatch in the roof. Her mother-in-law’s gem-studded, golden hairbrush lay forgotten in her lap. Heavy thoughts weighed upon Naminé’s mind, bringing her very low, yet she listened quietly to her husband’s irritated tone as it echoed down around her. Zarrys had discovered a secret hatch while studying the tower’s schematics, and ever since the roof had become his retreat when he sought for a moment of privacy.

     A set of heavy boots was making its way up the winding stairs below, and Naminé knew who was coming simply by the sound of each footfall. She honestly wished the visitor would turn around and go away. They had scarcely returned to Yerhan an hour prior, and she knew this was not a good time for company.

     “Your Majesty?” General Dagah called up through the primary hatch in the floor. “Your Majesty, may I come up?”

     “Yes, General,” Naminé answered as sweetly as she could while trying to conceal her feelings. “Come in.”

     Dagah stepped up quietly and looked around the divided room. He scanned the curtain that split the room in two, obviously in search of the king. His armor and cape were dusty, and the man had not shaved for several days. After the initial scan, he bowed to Naminé politely. “Good evening, my lady.”

     “Zarrys will be down in a moment,” Naminé excused, reclaiming the brush and pulling it through her hair carefully.

     “How was your journey?” the general asked with a patient smile.

     “Your soldiers were right,” she answered. “The people of Goram were ready for us to come. Nearly the whole city has followed us back.”

     “So it was the whole city,” Dagah concluded to himself. “It’s causing quite a tumult down there, trying to find the right homes for them. That’s why I’ve come. I need your husband’s council.”

     “Tread carefully, General,” she cautioned softly, turning her gentle eyes up toward the ceiling once again. “This hasn’t been a good day for Zarrys. Fallon weighs heavily on his mind--on both our minds.”

     “You’re still fighting it then?”

     “Fighting what?”

     “The truth.”

     Naminé was instantly offended. “Excuse me?”

     “Your Highness, Fallon is dead,” Dagah replied. He tried to speak softly, but irritation overflowed his tone. “He was killed that day by some bit of power. It’s honestly no different than the hundreds of other soldiers who were killed that day. And while mourning is proper, you must recognize that Fallon has been gone for nigh on three months. The king has duties to tend to, duties that are here, now. He must let go of Fallon before denial loses him the entire kingdom.”

     “Have you ever lost a person close to you, General?” Zarrys demanded fiercely, dropping into the room just as Naminé opened her mouth to rebuke the outspoken military man. Zarrys’s white hair and robes billowed in the air as he descended, and they settled in a disheveled manner when his sandal shod feet found the floor.

     “King Zarrys,” Dagah blurted quickly, dropping into a deep bow.

     “I didn’t order you to bow,” Zarrys snapped sharply, checking the position of his diamond crown. “I asked you a question.”

     “Zarrys, I—”

     “Have you? Have you ever lost someone close to you?” Zarrys demanded again. The king took an aggressive step toward Dagah, and Naminé quickly slid to the edge of her seat. She dropped the brush behind her, ready to intervene on Dagah's behalf even though she was just as upset as her husband.

--Excerpt taken from The Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3 by S. R. Ford. (c) 2014. All Rights Reserved.

I hope you enjoyed that and are excited for more to come. Please don't forget to comment.

Until tomorrow!