Thesos Illian is the Commander of the greatest army in all of Lordorthil and he is the Lord liege of Ilannda's stronghold. He was trained from a young age to fight and survive in the gruelling mud of war, he is a warrior and when men see his flaming red hair across the battlefield, they tremble with fear. It is known that Thesos could fight six men at once, he could bring armies to heel with just a glare, his deep brown eyes of the Illian house command respect and fear.
But his deepest shame was that he has yet to father a son.
Thesos's wife, the Lady Diana, has given him four children, with a fifth on the way; Thesos prays to the gods that it is a boy.
Thesos's second child, is Thora, a maid of eight, she is stubborn and headstrong, not at all like her other sisters, who all show level heads and a measure of fear and respect for their father. Before Thora learnt how to walk, she learnt how to run, she would stand to her feet and then launch herself across the room, darting away from her mother and nursemaids, squealing with delight as she was inevitably captured.
Thesos's other children all favour the Illian line, with wild red hair and deep stone eyes.
Thora, however, favours her mother's look, with smooth, ink-black hair and emerald eyes, Thesos knows that she will grow into beauty and will have a line of suitors by the age of ten.
Thora admires her father, she always has, she watches him when he is in the castle and when he is in his camp, she watches him lead his men with vigour and she wishes to be like him someday.
Thora wishes to be the Commander, she wants to fight and to go to war as a warrior by her father's side.
But what little girl's want is irrelevant in her world.
So Thora is taught to sew, she is taught to dance and sing and play the part of a pretty thing for some Lord to someday take and own.
Thora loves her mother. The Lady Diana is smart and cunning with a glare that is just as powerful as her husband's, the people of Ilannda love her, they respect her rule when her husband is away fighting for their King; which is often.
The Lord and Lady of Ilannda raise their eldest daughter, Genorra, in the art of ruling the castle, for one day Genorra will sit on the high chair and take her seat at the king's table as a liege Lady of Lordorthil.
It is known that the eldest will take the seat of the castle, but only the eldest son may take Command of Lordorthil's army.
But Thesos has no sons yet, which gives Thora hope, a hope that one day, she will be Commander. In Thora's mind, the army is rightfully hers, she is the second child of the Lord Commander.
Thesos constantly has to remind Thora that she is just a girl, and she will never lead.
"But what if you have no sons?" Thora asks, her emerald eyes wide.
"If I die without a son, then the army falls to your sister's husband, until a time that her son, should she birth any, can take command," her father tells her, not looking up from his desk where he is hunched over, scribbling on parchment something of importance.
"But her husband won't be an Illian," Thora pouts, "Only an Illian may lead the army."
"Her future husband will take the Illian name out of respect for Genorra's superiority," Thesos sighs, for what feels like the hundredth time, he turns to his daughter and his eyes soften.
Thora's bottom lip is pushed out in a pout, Thesos's can see how his daughter longs to fight and to be the commander.
"Do not worry, my sweet," Thesos says, he picks his daughter up and sits her on his lap, "One day you will marry a Lord, you will be Lady of his castle and bare sons for him."
YOU ARE READING
Daughter of War
FantasíaOne would think that Thora would be happy with her position; she is highborn with a powerful family name, and yet, Thora Illian's deepest wish is to be a warrior. Thora has a taste for adventure, for action, but her father would never let her wishes...
