The attached file has Volume I's Title Page and Table of Contents (TOC).
If a TOC entry has a
Blue mark on it, that means the chapter has a lot of material written in it, but it's not yet done.
If the TOC entry has a
Yellow mark on it, it's a stub with (maybe) some notes or a few paragraphs written.
Otherwise, that chapter is done.
The fact that there's a Preface to the First and Second editions in a book that hasn't even been published yet is a practical joke. If this book ever becomes really popular (Hey, people win the lottery!), it means people will want a first edition copy, but there won't be any because they're all marked as 2nd editions. You read it here first.
(Though I might actually make a few first edition copies just for fun. It remains to be seen. Hopefully, enquiring minds will one day really want to know!
The first major section, "The History of This Historian's History" provides an introduction to the two main characters, Carnemírië Galentíriel of
Lórien and Sir Fëalin Eldarion of
Gondor as they are in the middle of the story, and learn that Fëalin has lost something truly important to him, but we don't know what. It also introduces Ellotar Eldarion, Fëalin's nephew and the compiler of this history, and the mysterious person Ellotar calls «Cousin», who's dying and "knows things."
The next major section, Cold War in Arthedain, focuses on the early life of Carnemírië, her first encounter with Olgfaen (the bad guy), her second encounter that gets Olgfaen really motivated to go after her, her life as an intelligence operative for Arthedain, hints about her first love, her betrayal by a colleague, and her slavery. These are all fairly brief because Carnemírië isn't talking, and these
events happened 500 to 750 years before the history was compiled. There is a lot of foreshadowing in these chapters and a good bit shouldn't be obvious at the time they're read.
The next major section, Gondor Lives (not happy with the name, but don't have a better one yet), introduces young Fëalin, who becomes a page and squire to the elven knight Voronwë
Astaldo, who happens to be a dear friend of Carnemírië. (That's how Fëalin & Carnemírië first meet, but Fëalin was still very young, just a page.) It also details how Carnemírië first starts working in Gondor and makes friends with key people there.
The next major section, A Life Up-Ended, covers what happens when Carnemírië's life in thrown into turmoil. She loses her king, her welcome in her homeland, her home in Arthedain, the orphanage she founded in Arthedain, one of her best friends, and her love interest. And she's got to deal with a traitor. She goes mad for awhile and flees to lands faraway in the hopes of some relief from her inner turmoil. Makes a new friend she can't trust (but wants to, and vice-versa), finds the real love of her life, marries him, and returns to Lórien in hopes of re-establishing herself there with the new management of
Galadriel and
Celeborn. (Celeborn was very clear about his dislike of her, her first love interest, and the fact that she has had dwarven friends.)
The next major section, The Children of His Lies, has Olgfaen finally able to strike back at her, and he does so with a vengeance. (In both the literal and figurative sense of the word.) It's vicious, cruel, and ironic, and she and Fëalin, now a knight, are scrambling to undo as much of the damage as possible. They're partially successful, some people are rescued, some are slain but freed from sorcerous torture, and others don't survive. Several more characters join this quest and become important going forward, but that's more detail than I want to write, other than to note Elrith, a human orphan raised in the orphanage she founded, who becomes her adopted daughter. Fëalin becomes Carnemírië's Champion, which we learned about in the first chapter, but now we know why, and what he lost. Part of Olgfaen's plan is foiled, but not all of it. In the process, Carnemírië is driven mad and loses 3 years of her memories, but recovers sanity in time. The quest ends but not the friendships that were formed. Carnemírië learns the truth behind her parentage.
The next major section, The Song that Cannot Be Sung, has Olgfaen strike back hard at Fëalin, who loses his wife and children. Then he strikes back at Carnemírië with a curse that causes her to lose her ability to sing and thus use the greater arts of magic through song. It's a hard price to pay for a
bard. She finds the curse holds no sway on sacred ground and makes an
item to strike back at Olgfaen with. But it's not a
weapon, it's a gift, and only time will tell whether it bears poisonous or healthy fruit. Her adopted daughter's son and her champion's squire are slain defending her.
The next section, A Life Re-Forged, has her passing on the news to the parents of the two young
men slain in her defense (No Heavier Burden), and then her plan to become knighted in Dor-en-Ernil whilst in disguise as a human male. She's taking up new skills to overcome the loss of from Olgfaen's curse.
The next major section, Scars to Heal, has Carnemírië' return to the far south to her husband. They have a daughter, Annarael (of her body, not her adopted one) captured by the Mûmakani, brutally tortured and scarred, and subjected to a magical ritual to enslave her soul. She successfully fights back and delays the completion of the ritual (it's only partially effective) and is rescued. The family move back to NW
Middle-earth.
Fëalin dies and his nephew brings word to Lórien, after beginning his history.
Anyway, that's what's up. I figure I still have about 50,000-60,000 words to write and about 25,000 words to toss.
