Behind the Story

A story about...

One of my favoured tropes surfaces in this novel: the bond between ruler and land. Here I was wondering what would happen to a kingdom where the 'proper' king had been removed. If there is a bond between ruler and land, how do you replace the ruler? And does the benefit of that bond outweigh the potential cost?

Drafting

The starting point of Champion was a combination of the title (one of the rare few which started out with a name, Champion of the Dead - subsequently Champion of the Rose) and the Rose itself. The novel also features some of the least obedient characters I've ever suffered. An intended major marriage does not happen - the participants flatly refused, each for their own reasons. The intended villain gave me a Look and told me not to question their loyalty. But on the plus side a secondary character cheerfully turned around and came to life - and threatened to take over the pages. And occasionally the events achieved an eerie beauty which grabs my attention even after so many drafts and re-reads.

My notes page on the plot showed that, for the first few chapters at least, I didn't stray from my original plans for the story:

Ancient, powerful ruling family dies out and dynasty of Regents starts. A (rose bush?) plant

has traditionally marked the lives and deaths of the ruling family and it was supposed to die

when the last flower left it, but it lives on, flowerless. Then, one day, a single flower opens.

One of the (Rathens?) lives.

Traditional champion is dispatched by spiteful female regent, who is growing old and does

not want her own son to inherit. The champion's family has lost much power in the

centuries since the last Rathen died and the current possessor of the title of

Champion is about thirty, slightly scholarly (interest in art?) wholly unsuitable for the

tracking down. Completely overlooked by court, but this is her task and she must do

it. (Or is the Champion 'discovered' each time a new king?)

The Regent's son is attempting to kill new heir first. A private conjuration before the

rosebush which it is only possible for the champion to perform is overheard. The

conjuration produced only the name of a town, so off the champion races, saddle

sores and all, a pragmatic woman trying to tackle an impossible task as sensibly

as possible. Traditionally trained in magic, and strong, but retiring, avoids politics.

This extract shows that I was still settling on the Rathen name, and changed Soren around considerably. Not scholarly, not trained in magic, but still pragmatic and working to approach a mammoth task sensibly.

I also was very specifically choosing to write a major character who was definitely not a stoic, who was temperamental and upsetting. He was a struggle at times; so hurt, so angry, so lost and far too ready to take it all out on Soren.