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Rose Twins fairy tale? It’s based off the Lindworm myth right? How different is it from the source??
Yes! My rose twins story is loosely based on the Prince Lindworm story. This is going to be a long post so strap yourselves in When I originally came across the Fairytale I found myself interested in the story of the twins born of magic with one cursed to be a Lindworm, and I was disappointed by the fact the second human twin pretty much disappears from the story after the bride plotline begins(Which i found to be less interesting in comparison) So the Rose twins story basically takes the origin story from the fairytale(the Queen of a kingdom meeting a mysterious old woman who tells her to eat one of two roses in order to have a child, but the queen ends up eating both causing the first born child to be born a lindworm) and then makes up a different story with it
As the Name implies the Rose twins story focuses on the bond that forms between the titular characters as they meet for the first time at age 15, having been unaware of the others existence. I also wanted to incorporate the theme I chose to take away from the original Lindworm fairytale, seeing someones layers peeled back, someone at their lowest or most vulnerable, and showing them kindness and understanding.
The older Lindworm twin, Edelweiss, has spent most of her life alone after her original guardian; A mage scholar named Zeris Firamain, mysteriously vanished before she reached double digits.Overtime and fruitless search after fruitless search for somewhere to belong, only to be rejected time and time again, Edel resigned herself to becoming somewhat of a local menace of a town named Vericksvale and scaring off anyone that tries to pass through her cave.Playing tricks on others being the closest she feels she can get to other people with the cards she's been dealt. As a young Lindworm, Edel can summon translucent spectral wings and Shrink in size, becoming as small as a ball python.(She also cries Rose water)
The Younger Human twin, Rowan, has been raised as the crown prince of the kingdom of Decerith and has spent most of his life lonely among other people.When he was younger he survived an assassination attempt that left many others dead, leaving him with Severe survivor's guilt.The Pedestal he has been placed on leaves him feeling that who he really is can never measure up to those expectations and that if people actually got to know him,they would only be disappointed, So he has never let anyone get close enough. Despite what everyone else believes, he might not have been as untouched by the rose curse as it seems, something he has gone to great lengths to hide for as long as he can remember.
Thank you so much for this ask anon! I had a great time answering it
I also may or may not have gone on a brief worldbuilding tangent about Decerith underneath the cut
The story takes place in the island kingdom of Decerith, which for the last twenty years has been stuck in a perpetual winter with no known cause, leaving the kingdom in a dire state(with countless people dying on a large scale in the early days of widespread famine and cold when the kingdom was caught off guard by a winter that didnt end, and more dying in the years that followed) and completely reliant on outside trade to survive. Kept barely afloat by their own export of Elyrium, a rare and valuable metal found only in Decirith used in the construction of many a technological marvel
including the Royal TransHerdaeick Railway, a Freight line that runs across the Herdaeick sea and has served as the only way in and out of Decerith for the last 20 years due to the conditions becoming too dangerous for tradition sea transportation.Only its Small crew are able to leave and Enter Decerith(and the desperate people who give up their lifesavings and risk their lives for a one way ticket out, forced to face the hostile elements in train cars not built for passengers, just for the chance of a better future. Members of the train crew who are found involved in bringing people out of Decerith risk severe consequences)
Due it's importance to Decerith's future and how coveted a position in the crew is, the selection process is known to be very cutthroat, and its candidates are trained in combat due to risk the cargo faces from desperate thieves.The TransHerdaeick Line had been intended to be the First of Many Oceanic Railways when it finished completion, with Passenger cars being in the works when the Perpetual winter dashed all these plans and Left the Freight line as the only one of its kind.
I'll leave it there for now. if any of you are interested in hearing about more aspects of the setting(Lindworms, Magic, Earth spirits and the group known as Wulfrost) Be sure to let me know!