Bittersweet

Before we get to the description, a quick Author's Note. Depending on the response to the description and first few chapters, I may or may not continue posting this story up here. The title is subject to change - I keep drawing a blank on what to call it, and for the moment "Bittersweet" is the best I can come up with. I'm always open to any ideas or suggestions where the title is concerned!  This story gets an R rating, so fair warning FAR in advance - this is NOT intended for younger readers. There are a number of mature subject matters told throughout the story, up to and including scenes of rape, violence, blood and gore. If these are subjects that offend, I suggest not going forth in reading this story.  This story is written in third person; I'm not good at writing in a first person point of view, it's never been one of my more fond perspectives to write from and honestly confuses me at times when I'm reading first person. So, there won't be any point of view swaps throughout the story. Also, I will include photos throughout the story as it moves along depicting the characters as I see them; I'm not opposed to suggestions in regard to photos of characters, however I will NOT promise to change the images or who portrays who. I've been writing and picturing these characters for several years now and have a very clear picture for them all in my own head. If someone suggests a model or actor, I'm always happy to look - and if the person suits the character better, I may even change it! Just saying...Don't be afraid to offer suggestions! I love suggestions and creative criticism! OH EM GEE YES I SAID *CREATIVE* CRITICISM; that means exactly what it says. Any mean or unnecessary comments will be deleted. If I make a mistake, don't hesitate to let me know - but PLEASE do so with respect and courtesy.

*AHEM* And now, without further ado - the description!

BITTERSWEET - Extended Synopsis

Bittersweet is a tale of war, of love gone wrong - a story of overcoming the odds and finding peace within chaos.

Meet Persephone Nightingale. She is an Icari, a race shrouded in mystery. She's sweet,  kind, loving and innocent. She's been in love with Aleksandre for longer than she can remember. The catch? He's an Abel - a family which is the enemy of her own.  They've loved each other since they were children, yet they've never been able to be together. Persephone swore when she was younger that she would move on and try to forget all about Aleksandre, for she knew there would never be any way for them to unite.

They live within a vast space commonly referred to as the "Tri-Cities" - a trio of small cities ruled over by four familes that have been enemies for longer than any of them have been alive. Each family is well versed in the legends of their kind, they learned young why they are enemies. The Nightingales, Abels(and the Abel cousins, the Drakes) and the Valentines once were great friends and allies, yet somewhere along the way that all changed. Now, the emnity between them seems too great to overcome. It only seems to have grown over the centuries, their hostility toward one another bubbling just under the surface. Sweet Persephone and her forbidden love are caught in the middle, unable to be together yet unable to convince their hearts to love another.

So what happens when Persephone's father violates Aleksandre's sister, abusing the Abel woman, stealing her away from her family just to leave her bloodied, broken and ravaged months later? Aleksandre and his brothers are hell-bent on revenge, of course! In the dead of night, when Persephone and her own younger sister sneak out to the one truly neutral spot in the exact center of the Tri-Cities, the Abel brothers attack. Persephone and Roisin are ravished, abused, used just as the Abel sister had been. After a long night of the Abel brothers seeking their vengeance, the women are left battered and alone in the clearing.

It's twenty years later - Persephone and Roisin have recovered from their ordeal, yet still they deal with the consequences of that fateful night. Their eldest brother, Echelon, is seeking to form a bond of peace between their family and those of the Abels and Drakes. His vision is revolutionary; no one has ever attempted to bring peace between the enemy families, yet a threat greater than any one of them is close - and coming closer with every day that passes. Echelon has a plan - forge a bond between the families, unite them so that they may stand strong against the new enemy that apparoches.

What happens when Persephone and Aleksandre find themselves the victims of their respective family's leaders' plans and machinations? When forced to marry one another, or risk a new war between their families, what will come? Will Persephone find it within herself to forgive Aleksandre for what was done? Can Aleksandre admit his love for Persephone and make her love him once again, after all he did? And how will he take the discovery that he's the father of a son he never knew of, the product of that fateful night that's been etched into both his and Persephone's minds for the past two decages?

Can they find it within themselves to move on from the past and build a brighter future with one another? Or will the curse of their families drag them down and put an end to their love before it can ever truly begin?