All The Pages of You: Romance SubPlot

"Two hearts. One fractured timeline. Can love survive the ravages of cultural treason?"   In a world where the Souls of the dead must be hidden from death, and time itself is broken, two men must fight against the ruthless machinations of a fanatical group of cultural purists determined to tear their lives apart.   Tiaan is highly dyslexic, and has always struggled academically. His learning difficulty creates feelings of inadequacy when compared to his cousins and peers. As part of his training to become a Mediator, Tiaan is forced to attend the Univeritat of Rykfonteyn to study Law, while also shadowing his uncles (Ludwig Dunheuvelin as Sixth Mediator and Gedeon Senyavin as Fourth Mediator) as their perform their legal duties. Tiaan has never felt good enough to meet the academic demands expected of a Meditator's Heir, and when his uncles employ a student support aide to assist him with his studies, Tiaan personal feelings of inadequacy and shame, manifest as resentment towards the unfortunate Rubrecht Hoekstra.  

Book One: Context

  At the end of Book One, Köhnyg Thaddeus Rhaelen is reconciled with his exiled nephew, Chazley Dunheuvelin. With his son now expected to become Kronprynz, Chazley's father, Ludwig, finds himself without an heir to succeed him as Sixth Mediator. The only blood candidate is his nephew, Tiaan Senyavin, who is subsequentially forced to leave his position abroad as a personal guard within the Saints-Givensown.   Tiaan relishes the idea of becoming the Heir of the Sixth Mediator about as much as his cousin relishes the idea of becoming Kronprynz. That is to say, they'd much rather throw shit at a dragon, brandishing hatpins for swords, and wearing nothing over their bare arses.   In leaving the employ of the Saints-Givensown, Tiaan has also just explosively ended his relationship with his ex-employer and lover, Čedomir Ilyuhkin.   Tiaan harbours a deep-seated resentment of Varsii immigrants and the subversive, countercultural movement that operates within them, known as the Vigilant. It was due to this fanatical group that his cousin, Chazley, fell foul of the Köhnyg's paranoia in the first place. An arson attack on a pageant wagon during the Köhnyg's Coronation Day Anniversary Celebrations, left the young actor playing Thaddeus hideously burned. The man later died of his wounds. In response, the Vigilants released a damning pamphlet, criticising the Köhnyg and his cultural supression of Varsii immigrants, and damningly signed the document with the name of a ficticious captain: Chas. Dunhilling.  

Protagonists

Tiaan Senyavin

• Age: Early 20s

• Personality: Tiaan is kind, honourable, self-assured, and observant. He is often mistaken by those outside of his close circle as being quiet or stoically indifferent. Around those he trusts (especially his cousin, Chazley), Tiaan has a lively, playful side that is defined by confidant camaraderie. Tiaan is prone to emotional turbulence, and struggles with his intellectual insecurities. He also has a profound fear of being abandoned.

• Key Traits: Tiaan is intensely loyal to cousin and uncle, even though he often gets frustrated with Chazley's more cavalier attitude to life. He is sensitive to betrayal, which has left him emotionally guarded and cautious about trusting others. Despite this, Tiaan desperately wants a real connection with someone, perhaps even to have his own family. He hates feeling inferior to others, especially when it comes to anything academic, and does not like feeling indebted to others.

• Goals/Motivations: As the abandoned child of a second-son, Tiaan has little interest in titles or gaining political power, although it is a world he feels confidant in navigating. He is guided by a sense of duty to his Dunheuvelin family, and has a keen desire to protect their legacy and reputation. Tiaan wants to return to a life of service as an elite guardsman, either in the employ of one of his uncles, or at Chazley's side.

 

Rupert Hopkins

• Age: Early 20s

• Personality: Rupert is thoughtful, curious and polite. He is a man with immense patience and deep empathy for those around him, and often finds himself taking on other people's anxieties. Rupert is incredibly inquisitive, possessing a love of history, fiction and folklore.

• Key Traits: Rupert fears rejection, ridicule or violence because of his Varsii background. Despite this, Rupert is also a hopeless romantic. He is very idealistic about relationships, and fantasises about passionate, whirlwind romances, where love can conquer all. In reality, relationships are confusing; men are either taken, intimidating or cads; and love isn't a currency that society commonly deals in.

• Goals/Motivations: Rupert longs for a relationship with real affection and passion. He has already had to abandon his dream of pursuing academia, but enjoyed working as a Student Aide. Rupert has clung to the persona of 'Rubrecht Hoekstra' for so long that he often feels disjointed from his true self. He finds himself locked in a constant battle about being honest about who he is (a Varsii immigrant born in Rykfonteyn), or remaining silent.

 

Book Two: Outline

 

Act 1

Tiaan is not adjusting well to his new role as Heir to the Sixth Mediator. He is battling bitter resentment and unwanted heartbreak over leaving his position in the Saints-Givensown, and ending his relationship with Čedomir. He is also struggling with anxiety and imposter syndrome, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of having to become a Mediator in Chazley's place.   infamous droll-teller, Aengus Hopkins, is arrested for the murder.   Despite protocol, Köhnyg Thaddeus insists that Tiaan should shadow his paternal uncle, Gedeon Senyavin, and his clerks, during the court's investigation. Despite his resistance, Tiaan finds himself becoming increasingly grateful for, and reliant on, Rupert's academic assistance and emotional support during this time.  

Act 2

  Tiaan and Rupert shadow the Fourth Mediator when he visits the suspect, Aengus Hopkins, for questioning at Stahlpoort Kehldom. Rupert knows very little about his droll-teller father, other than a surname, and he goes into this investigation terrified that this man might be his father --- or, worse: that his own, Varsii identity might be revealed.   Although the Hopkins maintains his innocence, Rupert quickly becomes a focal point of derision and disdain for him. It is clear to Rupert the man recognises him as Varsii, if not his son. Similarly, the droll-teller’s magical rag coat seems to have a strange pull on Rupert, which he desperately tries to ignore. Not long after their first meeting, Rupert starts to receive threatening letters from the Vigilants, calling him a traitor to his Varsii blood, and a claw-sucking sympathiser.    

Act 3

  As Tiaan's grief makes him more erratic, and Rupert's terror drives him to despair, the pair discover evidence to suggest that Chazley might still be alive, but that his supposed death is part of a larger conspiracy involving Köhnyg Thaddeus. In desperation, Tiaan seeks answers from Čedomir. This leads to a destructive, one-night stand and zero answers. When Rupert arrives the next day, to find Tiaan in the presence of a disheveled Saints-Given, he retreats emotionally, convincing himself that the fledgling bond between them was a figment of his imagination.   As Hopkins's trial starts, the Vigilants' start to target Rupert more viciously. The threats start to encompass other people in his life, and Tiaan's own reluctance to read a carefully-crafted letter prevents him from uncovering Rupert's past.   The droll-teller's trial ends in a verdict of guilty, and a sentence of execution. Rupert confronts Tiaan about his erratic behaviour, and his lack of belief in his own abilities. Tiaan, realising just how dependent he's grown on Rupert, starts opening up to him emotionally. Tiaan starts to test Rupert's feelings by gently teasing him about romance and his bookish ideals. Their connection deepens as Rupert starts to realise that Tiaan's interest in him is real and sincere. Tiaan even manages to convince Rupert to lend him his favourite romance book.   its stories. When Rupert turns into an hysterical wreck, Tiaan resolves to remove him to the safety of Vuurfeld House, only for the pair to be attacked by Vigilants outside the lodging house. As a trained guard, Tiaan manages to save Rupert's life.   At Tiaan's home, Rupert confesses everything. His true name. His heritage. His paternity. It leads to a complete and utter breakdown of trust between him, Tiaan and the Sixth Mediator. It is at this moment that Chazley's survival is revealed, but at a terrible cost: Chazley has just murdered Köhnyg Thaddeus. Forced to choose between the man he desires, and the cousin he loves, Tiaan chooses to protect Chazley...   Only for time to unravel around them.   his law degree, and is a trained Lesser-Mediator in his own right, Rupert is not part of his life. He is consumed by guilt, horrified that he ever allowed himself to consider rejecting Rupert's loyalty and affection simply because of his own, senseless Varsii prejudice. Tiaan instictively knows that he will never be able to return to the timeline where he broke Rupert's heart, but he resolves to find Rupert now, in this life, and prayers he has the strength and courage to make things right.  

Book Three: Outline

 

Act 1

  Oblivious to the trauma of his previous timeline, Rupert left his job as Eryk Senyavin's academic aide, and has been awarded the Prince Consort's Scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in Literary Anthropology. Still hiding behind the false identity of Rubrecht Hoekstra, Rupert can't help but feel drawn to the oral tales and traditions of the Varsii, despite his research focus on the morphology of written, Kredasene folklore.   book, and camps out at the café he knows Rupert often visited. In the end, his plan pays off, even if Tiaan's dignity feels more than a little bruised for it.  

Act 2

  Hopkins's ultimate goal is to gradually draw Rupert into the Vigilants’ cause, using his mentorship to frame the group as protectors of an oppressed, dying culture.   As his relationship with Tiaan grows more serious, Rupert begins to worry about the double-life he feels he's living. He tries desperately to prevent Tiaan from finding out about his growing interest in the art of droll-telling, while also trying to keep his romance with Tiaan hidden from his father. Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind secret Hopkins and the Vigilants want to exploit, although the droll-teller does his best to feign disinterest in Rupert's private life.  

Act 3

  What the Vigilants want, more than anything else, is retribution. Barely a year earlier, the Kredasene royals had consented to the marriage of their daughter, Tahnaya Luwis, to the new Raskvaerii-Regent in Versarna, Cezary Ekhorin. Although they had no choice in agreeing to this political union, the Varsii view this as proof that the royals are complicit in the destruction of their culture and homeland. Rupert is now faced with a choice: should he protect the man he loves and betray his heritage? Or should he aid the Vigilants in striking at the heart of the royal family, and risk losing Tiaan forever?