Chapter 16

Some may ask: W_L: Why did you do a Christmas Special? chapter? My answer is I wanted to create a story that covers various things, including the celebration of Christmas, which is a major Holiday. Christmas Fete/feasts were common among the nobility, but it's rare to see similar celebrations for commoners or peasants during the 16th century. Additionally, one thing I did not mention in-depth for the novel was the old tradition of Fasting on Christmas Eve during the 16th century. The common practice was to deny yourself egg, meat, or cheese, so people sustained themselves on bread and water for Christmas Eve. Not sure if this practice continues among Christians. Just thought I'd share it.

(I mean most folks, even the so-called devout Evangelical crowd appear to throw elaborate dinners on Christmas Eve in recent years and hasn't kept up with traditional Christian prohibitions. In the eyes of 16th-century Christian forebearers they claim to revere, they're committing a major affront to God.)

As for the sex scenes, I think if I ever have a partner and we choose to adopt a kid, it's going to get uncomfortable to explain certain things. Then, you put that in the perspective of a 16th-century girl, who has never seen or heard about kinky sex that even modern people have a hard time dealing with (Roleplay, Power Exchange, and Dom/sub is a big can of worms). On the other hand, I see this revelation of kink not as a moment of shame or fear, but as a kind of awakening for a repressed and abused girl, who only sees the world under a medieval lens of roles. One interesting aspect from the BDSM angle, a lot of abuse victims, male and female, get into it to regain a sense of control and power that has been taken away from them. I am not saying being a Dominatrix will make sexual abuse traumas go away, but it can help reclaim autonomy for some women, something I am interested in exploring for Frances as she grows up. Female readers and LGBT male readers can chew on that bit for a while.

As for the actual sex scene between our three horny teenagers: Eli, Francis, and Robert, it was hot and fun, but I kept it short as the kind of sex three people have is very detailed, you can describe only so much. 

What's more important was the revelation of Robert's ability: Molecular/Atomic augmentation. It's an interesting idea and something that would open a lot of doors for technologies that we rely on that require heavy industry and equipment to create similar byproducts through chemistry or physics. Of course, the dark side of this is that it opens the doors to other things like nuclear fission and fusion weapons. Also, it adds to the lore of Merlin, who was Robert/Jack's predecessor manifestation. That's how he could build a bunker with rudimentary steam power.

(It doesn't answer how this power could exist though, but I will reveal that eventually.)

Last but not least, the Christ comparisons with Eli. Many main fantasy and Science Fiction Characters share that comparison to Jesus Christ. However, in this case, it was intentional, because the religious devotion of the fair folk have towards Eli is basically messianic. He doesn't want it, but he needs it for the current issues at hand. I've hinted at it last chapter with Thomas Tallis' choice of the Christmas Day Hymn. Like his historical counterpart, Thomas Tallis is very devout and places all his energy in servicing his God. Where most fantasy fiction just hero-worships, mine actively deifies.

This week's Law of Power is the 32nd law, "Play to People's fantasies", the concept is pretty simple as everyone has their own idealized version of reality. Frances desires to be like Eli and free herself from her traumatic demons. The elaborate master bedroom with warm water from a pump-action faucet in the 16th century was technically feasible, but unrealistic to achieve for people like Francis. As for the elaborate decorations of Bristol Castle, this entire are was made to show the progression and change that Eli embodies, granting hope to the visiting Fair Folk and furthering his following. 

Notes:

1.Big fan of Shakespearean characters:

Nick Bottom is a weaver character from Midsummer Nights' Dream, he's in a throple with Tiania and Oberon. (LGBT interpretation of the play, if Oberon would just get over himself) He's in his thirtes just like Oberon and Titania in this story.

Iago is a famous character from Othello, he's a villain. His villain attributes came from jealousy toward Othello, which will get played out at some point. However, at this point, he's just a college-age artist.

Artemidorus is a minor character from Julius Caesar. He was virtuous and tried to warn Caesar of betrayal by writing him a letter that never gets read before Julius Caesar was stabbed.

2. As for the piping and hot water, solar-heated water containers were around during the Middle Ages, but the use of concave glass to collect sunlight for heat and black paint along with insulation were all used separately. I took a big leap with the idea of building a solar water tank, which would effectively provide a limited supply of running water to a large manor home. The water would still need to be boiled, but it would represent an important first step towards modern plumbing.

3. Robert's ability opens up a lot of ideas such as the creation of simple electronics. These could be used in things from radio to advanced rockets like the V-1 and V-2 (which were predecessors of the ICBM and medium-range missiles we have today). We know the Catholic forces have air power in use in Holy Roman Empire, so a natural and cheap counter to it would be the development of ballistic missile technology. Eli's fears of an arms race is well founded.