"There is one way." (Meet Cassian, second MC in my novel, BtB!)

“If I had realized just how far behind you had fallen, I would have called you to account sooner,” I said, my voice hard.

The man made no answer, keeping his head bowed low.

“I have lists miles long of mere peasants like yourself who would give anything for the land you pretend to farm. Pay up now, or get off the land.”

— excerpt from BtB, Draft One, Beast’s Perspective.

Finally, finally, finally. I've tracked the Beast down. He is here to say hello. Meet Cassian. Because of Cassian's bitterness and anger over a family tragedy, he is sometimes referenced to as the beast. He has become a bit beastly, brooding over the loss of his mother. He fails to keep his appearance neat and tidy, further lending to the description of beast. Long, unkempt and uncut hair, a horrible glare, and a growling voice all conspire together to complete the beast-like look.

Cassian's father is king of a country called Avernais. Cassian is, I believe, second in line to the throne (although details like this may change and shift during the drafting process), and is currently ruling over the duchy of Corridae, a large chunk of land inside the borders of Avernais.

I chose Cassian's name purposefully and with the meaning in mind. Cassian = hollow, vain. While Cassian isn't particularly vain, he is pretty hollow at the moment, and struggling to deal with his family situation—a strained relationship with his father, a mother who is no longer there (I say 'no longer there' because I hate killing off characters, so who's to say she's well and truly dead? For now, I'm leaving lots of wiggle room here!), and the emotions that accompany this struggle.

To connect a few dots for you, Corinne, my other main MC in this as yet unfinished novel, lives in a small village that lies beneath the shadow of a mountain. A mountain within the borders of Avernais, and within the duchy of Corridae. The mountain that holds Duke Cassian's castle.

Corinne used to live happily in this valley village until unexpected loss and injury struck her family, making them unable to pay money owing to Duke Cassian. Desperate, Harlan (Corinne's father) begs Duke Cassian, the Beast, to give him another chance. Some way to pay back what he owes without losing the land.

“But what will I do?” the man [Corinne's father] wailed, “What will become of my children?”

I don’t know what came over me as I watched him leave, but for some reason I shouted for him to stop. “There is one way,” I growled. “Bring one of your children to the castle. Tomorrow. Before noon.”

— excerpt from BtB, Draft One, Beast’s Perspective.

Corinne has a choice to make. She can either allow herself to be kicked off the duke's land alongside the rest of her family, or she can deliver herself to the duke, and to an unknown fate.

She chooses to go to the duke. By doing so, she gives her family a chance to keep their land, according to Duke Cassian's last-minute promise to Corinne's father.

When Corinne shows up at the castle, Duke Cassian scrambles to figure out what he should do with this strange girl. He never really thought that she would come, or that her father would send her. After all, what kind of father would send his daughter to pay debts not her own?

"...I suggest that you send her back down the mountain and evict that tenant as planned.”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can. I’ve given you the orders. Follow them. To the tee, Julian.”

“She’s passed out on a bench in the kitchen, Your Grace. I can’t easily send her packing.”

— excerpt from BtB, Draft One, Beast’s Perspective.

Did Harlan really send his daughter to the duke? Is he the sort of man to treat his children that way? Until the girl awakens and recovers from her faint, the duke has no way of knowing. What he does know is that this mysterious girl surely must have answers. If the girl is who she seems, Duke Cassian holds the power over her family's fate. Will he uphold his promise to let Harlan keep the land in exchange for sending one of his children to the castle?

An angry, bitter duke. A fiery, resourceful female tenant determined to protect the only home she has ever known. Who can say for certain what will happen when these two collide?

Note:

Hey there! Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you enjoyed getting a sneak peek at the duke and at the dilemma that he is in. I can't wait to finish the first draft of this novel!

I know that there weren't many definitive details about the duke in here, and that was on purpose. I want to be careful with what to say and what to keep secret for now, because the beast needs lots of room to shift and change as his story grows. Corinne's character was a lot easier to pin down than Duke Cassian's, but I will pin him down eventually (I hope!).

Til next time,

Lily Page