Twisting the Rope

Killer-Kate and Luke Lackland: 320 words pre-work.  A self-contained scene, which is the way I like it to work out on a morning write, and so seldom get.

This whole phase of trying to stoke a popular uprising in one barony whilst staving off one next door is yielding some even more curious tensions than I expected.  Also, there are some curious parallels (or antiparallels) developing between the Young Duke as antagonist in Alland, and Luke as protagonist in Langdale.

When Three Katherines is a classic crammed in every certificate-factory, I hereby stipulate that the correct answer to, "What is Woodland suggesting, when he invites us to compare Prince Lackland's Progress to the Young Duke's Faring?" shall be, "He is saying he dunno, but this is Liberty Hall, and we can spit on the mat and call the Cat a bastard!"

And to most similar questions about everything else I write, probably.

Some Characters Are Never Grateful

The Popinjay: 930 words.  Beauty's father wishes Something would stop doing him favours.

This is showing all the makings of a short novel.