You've reached the end! Yey! <(￣︶￣)>
Thank you for wading your way to these 120k+ words. Here are some thoughts and facts that maybe you haven't known yet. But most importantly, the things that could have happened if I hadn't revised it.
If you are the type who reads the ending first like me, this page contains major spoilers.
THE TITLE WHICH I HAD DOUBTS ON
I was young and naïve and out of my mind why I titled this way. It was a spur of a moment and I don't know, I stuck with my idea and never bothered changing it. This was first made in 2014 and I was a high schooler who didn't know any better, it was until I realized it's kinda cringe lol
If it were you, would you change the title? Then what would it be?
SPEAKING OF TITLE, THERE'S AN ALTERNATE ONE
I posted the more polished (?) version in webnovel titled "Kingdoms of the Grand West" with five side stories featuring the members of Ezriel: Cannaria, Night, Erodessa, Lian, and Yves. Hope you can check it out :)
UPDATE: I MADE IT INTO A TRILOGY
Second book is "Mortal Goddess". This will be the sequel to what happened in this book. Winners make history and that is true. What was written may not be the whole truth and that is the case with Cannaria. Now venturing to the lands of the Far East and the past that had only been recorded in books. We will find out the truth and the cause of the whole madness of Ezriel and the atrocity of the Dark Queen.
Third installment is "King Pawn". Now that you've learned the origin, will you give the chance to know the villain who succumbs to the curse? This is the prequel featuring the one and only King Enmir and his beloved Janessa.
These two will be available in my wattpad profile, feel free to visit my profile after this <3
THE PLOT THAT ALMOST MADE ME CRAZY
This book was supposed to be a trilogy: Princess Thief, Lady Thief, Queen Thief. As you guessed based on the title, Carline would have ended up as a queen but her husband is still Freed.
Pertaining to the last sentence instead of separate books it became more like Seasons. Season 1: The Amica (Chapters 1-22) Season 2: The Selection (23-35) Season 3: The Lost Treasures (36-55)
Though, honestly, at first, I didn't know where I was heading to in terms of the whole story since I write on the spot and just leave it be. All I know is the beginning and the ending which I didn't change from what I wrote years ago.
I only overhauled the relationships between the characters but the story was pretty much the same. It was about a princess who became a thief and learned about her origins and searched for the Lost Treasures that can grant wishes.
I'm a firm believer of my favorite quote that there are three sides to every story. Yours. Theirs. And the truth somewhere in the middle but you will never know the 'real' truth and the gods' backstories as this was made in First POV so events that were only witnessed by Carline were revealed.
I want this story to be more personal and partial. This is definitely one-sided and biased since it showed how Carline viewed everything based on her experience and what she's been through. We really don't know what's going on in other character's minds and Carline is not always right as she loved to overthink and perceive people based on how they treated her.
And I think that is the beauty of first pov because it's up to you how you interpreted their action with Carline's perspective. Knowing that Enmir knows what she was doing and was able to deceive Cindra to have a mission on Arvory Mansion, maybe he at least had a decency in him left by letting her be a thief. Who knows? Maybe Enmir was actually a revered hero in someone's life aside from the crazy bastard that we learned of.
TERMINOLOGIES AND WHATNOTS YOU PROBABLY WON'T NEED IN REAL LIFE
Amica (Crusaders)
Forget where I got that word lol I didn't bother changing it either. I searched it up and it came from the word Amicus that meant a friendly and loving woman and someone admired for her strength and courage. For the org names, I want it to be literal since they travel a lot.
Cattivo (Reapers)
Cattivo is an Italian word for 'bad'. When I ran out of ideas for names, I always refer to some German, Italian, Latin, and Greek words since their language sounds like some magic spells or maybe that's just me. Their org name says it all. They kill a lot that's why.
Types of Amica
Again, I want it to be literal since I didn't want the story to be more of a 'high fantasy' with a lot of world-building and own language. The Restricted Type because they are restricted and could only use their magic if the awakened (i.e. Cindra should awaken to use her portals but has lasting effects) while the Limited Type because they have to meet some limits in order to use their magic (i.e. Ace could only use a person's appearance one) Rare Type can be anything out of ordinary like the two magic thingies and can also be the one that has both limited and restricted types.
Incantations
At first, there were some spells composed of, again, Latin words, but it was hella confusing so I made something easier to remember and anyone could use.
NOTES ABOUT THE SOME CHARACTERS (I'M NOT BIASED, OKAY? THESE CHARACTERS JUST NEED EXPLANATIONS)
Carline
I always take time naming my characters to depict either their personality or a little something about them. For Carline, her name means 'free man' which was the opposite of her initial circumstance but she achieved it in the end.
Carline's name was supposed to be Apphinity Carline Ezriel thus making ACE but I could not even spell my character's name properly and it might get confusing having three separate names since we already had Freed who also had three.
I wanted to make her funny and cheerful but from her experience, I guessed she tends to be more mature than her age.
Freed/Reichen/Reid
For Reichen it comes from the word 'reich' which translates to rich because he is one while for Reid is simply 'red-hair'. If you're thinking "But Reid is blonde..." that's simply because this puppet was for Freed to get close to Carline who had the red hair.
As for Freed, it is actually a pun seeing how Carline was all about FREEDom. Yes. I know it's a bad one lol
Reid was not supposed to exist at first and Reichen is the knight but then I decided to separate them.
Freed and Carline were supposed to marry at the beginning and there's no such thing as the Selection. (We wouldn't have met the other princesses)
Xenon
Xenon's name means 'guest' which he was at the palace of Ezriel since he was someone that was picked up by King Enmir and nurtured by him.
Xenon was supposed to be a very minor character but then he slowly became one of my faves and he developed into something more. Actually, there was part of me who wanted to make him as the end game but it was just my second lead syndrome distracting me.
Janessa
Her name is 'god is gracious' according to Hebrew which I found apt because of the power of her blood. Queen Janessa was supposed to be alive right from the start and married to Night but it was too messy after I realized it.
Mhilrim
Her name is a variation I made from an Arabic name Mihrimah. Mehr means sun and Mah means moon and I retained Mehr and added my twist lol. Mhilrim was supposed to be old and she is Night and Enmir's mother that was trapped in the garden.
Enmir
Another Arabic reference from the name Emir that translates as a local king. He is actually a jealous and greedy second son that stole everything from Night including his title, his wife, and child but I realized it has no justified reason why he did that so this was the start why I changed everything.
Cindra
Cindra was not also in the initial characters. We won't have our fairy god-mother but instead, we have a real fairy. The guardian of the garden was supposed to be a fairy named Luna, a cute quirky character that I removed for reasons I don't even know. Her name was derived from Cinderella. I almost named her Cinder but Cindra has a nice ring to it. Still can't believe I killed her character as I needed someone to trigger Carline but I later realized I unknowingly foreshadowed her death during the time Lander gave Carline the portier so I went along with it.
Night/ June
Actuallllyyyy, the one whose death would trigger Carline was supposed to be Night. His name was kind of self-explanatory. I wanted it to be simple and easily remembered since he is one of the key characters although he's missing most of the time.
Cannaria
She is another character I added after revision. Her name came from the Canary bird that symbolizes either entrapment or freedom. In this case, Cannaria was the cage that traps Carline in the palace, and when she's gone Carline was able to have her freedom.
Erodessa
Sorry, I lied, I'm biased xD. Erodessa is my fave character and her name came up from the root word Odessa which is wrathful in Greek. I'm just into misunderstood characters and she is definitely one because she is only evil due to the circumstance and cornered. Everyone has a different way to cope up so if she and Carline changed situations it will be the other way around but she'll definitely be bitchier.
THE COUPLES I PERSONALLY SHIPPED (WELCOME ABOARD!)
I believe there are stories that are better with no love lines and this thought came to me when I was revising the whole plot. I planned to focus more on friendship but as I was rereading the old chapters, I found myself foolishly grinning like a maniac with the interaction between Freed and Carline so I decided to polish it instead. Here is some ship name that was prompted when I was joining a contest. Beware of punny cringe-worthy names.
Freed x Carline/ Reichen x Ace (ReiCe)
Of course my main OTP. Pronounce as 'race' because why not? I wanted a relationship with utmost trust between partners and I wanted to convey it to them but also adding some petty fights because not all get along at first sight and I have perk on cat-dog relationship. I also do believe that for people to be interested, they need to be curious first, the rest will follow.
Yves x Willow (Yllow)
Omg. Maybe my happiness level is too low, I'm laughing at my own joke on their ship name. It was supposed to be Lander and Willow but I fell in love with Yves' face claim so I didn't want him to go to waste.
Night x Mhilrim (NiRim)
The most normal ship name. A love team that shouldn't happen lol
Sullien x Priscilla (PriScen)
Priscen, Prison? Lol just kidding. I adore these two. I don't know I keep imagining cute things between them when they don't even have much interaction together in the book Xd
Janessa x Enmir (The OG couple)
Well duh because they are the only old couple shown in the story. OG could stand for original or more apt as Old Generation Couple xD I actually love them. They are my representation of a dependent relationship that can go awry when one is gone. There is love that can make you crazy and they are an example. I mean, literally.
Lian x Some noble that preferred his identity hidden (Couple name unavailable because the guy is shy)
She is probably happy with her husband who values his privacy. Among the siblings, I can say she is the luckiest.
LIST OF SINGLE PROSPECTS WITH A LITTLE DAMAGE ON THE SIDES
Xenon: stern and silent but very faithful
Problem: Not very vocal with his feelings that he lost his chance. Had an aquaphobia but recovered. Don't worry he always takes showers.
I thought of paring him to someone unexpected during the epilogue like Xenon x Erodessa then Xenon x Lian but no, I think Xenon would want a girl that had only eyes for him and would trust him wholeheartedly. Hope he'll find someone in the selection but I doubt it.
Erodessa: very beautiful and you won't have to worry about your genes
Problem: Those same genes can make your children crazy. Just kidding, magic's all gone now so everything's fine. A little bitchy, not good for faint-hearted men.
I'm thinking about pairing her with Lander but she deserves someone who can fix her. Damn, I wanted to bring back Prince Asher to life. (｡╯︵╰｡)
Lander: the cute guy that can make you swoon
Problem: Loyalty issues. Flirty to everyone that he needed to be subdued.
He is a flame that swallows all the moths near it if you know what I mean. He badly needs someone who can stop his playboy ways and get over his unrequited feelings with Willow (which I had been hinting on the story) or he'll stay single forever.
ADDITIONAL FACTS AND THE CLUTTERS IN MY MIND
I accidentally released an old chapter that contains some scenes that were deleted since it was part of the old plot. It was such a shameful mistake.
The longest process in revising this was actually the names. Thankfully, I chose the right one for most of the characters and didn't need to change it. I wanted something that would suit them and the story and not just randomly assigning it or making unique names that are complicated to remember so there was always some kind of patterns like Freed, Reichen, and Reid. The names are clues themselves since they sound almost the same.
I had several face claims for the cast, especially Carline's, which I changed often since I was not satisfied. It continued until I learned the magic of Photoshop that I started editing my face claims to match my descriptions as much as possible.
In the middle of the story I was already done with the ending but I had a lot to fill in and sometimes don't know how to connect them all lol. Comment if you notice some plot holes.
I used to have a very friendly reader who motivates me to update despite my poor narrating skills (I mean I'm not really that good now but I'm proud to say I improved) so I dedicate this to her. Hope you are doing well all these years.
THE REASON IT TOOK SO LONG TO COMPLETE...
I started this when I was in 3rd-year high school, barely 15 years old, and stopped when I entered college. It was a five-year course making me very busy juggling all my school works, friends, family, and other hobbies that can help improve my skills in drawing. I took architecture but I suck in drawing. The stress drained me out that was when I started to write again and the result was Tales of Elith.
It was only when the pandemic happened that I decided to touch this as I noticed there are actually people who love the story and for that, I will always be very grateful for your appreciation. It is your support that made me want to complete all these scenes that were just a part of my dream and imagination.
ME AS A PROMOTER OF MY OWN WORKS
If you want more of a high fantasy story with a mix of modern and historical combined with mages, fairies, shifter, and demons, you can check out my series Tales of Elith. They are divided into four more sub-series that show the perspective of different races.
Side Note: Charmed is actually a parallel of Princess Thief which I noticed later on. This is more of a light-hearted(?) version. An alternate universe where Xenon and Carline end up together lol. Aricson is like Xenon with that calm and protective attitude. Elise is like Carline minus the abusive father. Dryann is Erodessa, Erkhan is Blaze and Willow is Faylinn.
Charmed: The Emperor's Lineage of Elith 1
Orrrrrrr, you can also try another stand-alone, with several protagonists, that deals more with action and adventure as this is a competition on who will end up as the Devil King and exploring the world of humans along the way.
The Devil's Heir
Anyways, you're totally awesome if you reach this part of my note! Thanks again and see you on my other stories, cutiefries(ノ*°▽°*)