Day 7: 700 words

Extract:

“They’re finally going, then,” Felman said with a heaving sigh. He was a big man; anything he did – talking, breathing, moving – had a sense of both great size and great effort to it. “And not soon enough. There’s bad blood between Icelvik and Angaborg. One side accuses the other of poaching sixty years ago, and before you know it…”

Hemming stopped paying attention because Earl Icel had appeared at the entrance to the square, mounted as usual and tailed by his wife, two more warriors, and Thistle, who was again on foot. She smiled at Hemming.

“Are you going to fight?” Felman asked.

“No. Broder forbade me.”

“He did?” Felman frowned. He had a heavy face and a bristly brow. “Surely someone should be going to represent the earl’s blood.”

“Why can’t that be Broder? He’s the earl’s brother,” Hemming said.

“Well, for one, he has his own colours and his own hall. For two, he’s going to be leading that band of archers instead, ain’t he?”

Hemming was quiet for a second. “But I couldn’t do it. If Broder found out…”

“Why not? I was practicing to use the axe by your age, and you’re big enough to carry a shield.”

Before they could continue, Thistle hurried across the square towards them. The bags under her eyes told Hemming that she hadn’t slept well. “Hello, husband,” she said, trying to be playful, but her smile looked distant.

“What’s happened to you?” Hemming asked.

Triss pulled him aside, out of earshot of anyone else. “We’ve got to go to that battle, Hem.”

So today I began writing the first battle of my novel. The change of pace that comes with writing an action scene meant I had to re-write a few times until I got the feel right, and even then it was only after re-reading the 'Battle by Deepwood Motte' from George R R Martin's A Dance With Dragons: Before the Feast (which is one of the best battle sequences I've ever read) that I got into the real swing of it.

Once I had started, though, it went really well, and I feel like I have a vivid fight scene developing, so yay!