Frozen Frontier Prequel: Breaking the Chains

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==Recap==
===Year 1495===
Jaromir was born with a series of "tattoos" on his body in the Town of Yunta to a seamstress. He spent the first 16 years of his life as a curiosity and subject of study by the clergy and the wise women of his Kingdom, Mahtava and lived in the main temple in the Capital, Zelenia. Jaromir is considered a second class citizen, almost a slave in this nation.
It is a rainy afternoon when Jaromir is brought to the Chancellor Angel, considered the second most powerful person in the kingdom before the Queen herself. Today is the day an Elven Emissary will arrive, their task is to inspect Jaromir. Young Jaromir is nonplussed. From the balcony the Chancellor sees the carriage arrive. Chancellor Angel hopes today is the day they get answers and find out how Jaromir is supposed to be of use to them. Jaromir takes a serving of salt and silver to eat before continuing.
The Chancellor leaves Jaromir alone briefly to greet the Elves. Jaromir feels anxious when he is along. He expects 
Chancellor Angel returns with an Elven Woman, Laurel, with a headband with the symbol of Martha on it, far shorter than Jaromir expected, since his mental image of elves was very different from reality and is briefly disappointed. Jaromir quickly recovers and greets Laurel.
Jaromir is asked to disrobe and the women talk about the tattoos, starting with the tree tattoo on his spine (Enlarge Spell). Laurel observes the tree in the tattoo hasn't finished growing, it is in the "third stage of it's life". They start tracing that tattoo onto some paper. Jaromir fidgets, so it slapped by a fan by the Chancellor.
The elf starts inspecting the constellation of runes in the shape of a person on Jaromir's chest (Displace Self). The elf concludes the tattoo is divinely inspired, but isn't in the shape of any known god and doesn't exist in the sky. But it is born of things that almost exist. She then addressed Jaromir for the first time and asks him if he remembers anything from before he was born. Jaromir is confused, but says he remembers not much before he was even 3 or 4. 
The elf then starts to trace the tattoo of a Jackrabbit leaping off Jaromir left foot up his shin (Jump). The elf proceeds to inspect other tattoos that call to her. Moon next to Jaromir's liver (Protection From Evil) she considers that the symbol of Felumbra next to the liver that purifies blood, and considers it a symbol of protection. The elf continues for the next hour over the other tattoos until she is satisfied. The elf leaves, saying she will try to rush with a report from the Elves because of a Human's short lifespan, and try to have a report in a year.
As the elf leaves Jaromir meets a woman named Victoria, Chancellor Angel's apprentice. Jaromir gives a formal bow. Victoria's training duties at the moment is to keep watch of Jaromir. Jaromir is told to have a bath. Jaromir walks naked from the 2nd floor to the subbasement where the baths are, making small talk with Victoria along the way. Victora says she is from Valara and her grandmother helped design the famous Valara ballistas.
Victoria asks Jaromir is he is okay with his life of servitude and imprisonment. The question itself is a shock to Jaromir as he had never considered that he was a prisoner before.
During the bath Jaromir talks about the elf he met today and the great mystery that is Jaromir. Chancellor Angel comes in and gives instructions to Victoria to have 10 copies of all of Jaromir's tattos made as well as many notes as possible before the return of the elves within the year.
===Year 1496===
For the next nine months Victoria is with Jaromir for 6 hours a day, doing as much research as possible. Jaromir talks abut his family and how he sees them sometimes at festivals, and he had a sister born 2 festivals ago. He feels however the feeling of family is unobtainable. The two talk about the inequities in their society. They also try doing experiments to try to activate the tattoos and nothing happens. They then start to have fun tests instead. Victoria tries to give Jaromir more freedom in choosing the studies. Jaromir suggests they go to Valara, and comes up with the excuse to see The Overgrowth north of town where there are many trees like his tattoos.
Jaromir and Victoria travel to Valara by wagon, stopping at noble houses along the way. Jaromir is forced to wear a slave collar, as it is law for all men to wear. Victoria is sorry she has to wear the collar. Along the road Jaromir has to stay in cramped quarters with other males. 
===18 May 1496===
After a few days they arrive in Valara. Jarmoir sees the walled town with the thicker walls towards the Overgrowth to defend against the dragon as well as a massive watch tower.
Jaromir and Victoria stay at a temple in town, while the temple Victoria removes Jaromir's Collar and Veil (to hide the tattoos).
In town, Victoria shows Jaromir the interesting locations, shows Jaromir the wall in more detail and the Overgrowth beyond with the immense sequoia-sized trees. Jaromir wonders how the trees get that big, and Victoria explains that the trees are just naturally different like that, and there are many of them, but they aren't always together. Jaromir wonders to himself if there is someone else like himself out in the world somewhere.
Victoria shows Jaromir to a series of statues with a plaque there to her grandmother who Victoria was named after. Her grandmother travelled the world outside Mahtava and was unhappy the way things are done here, she refused titles and land and became a farmer instead.
Back at the temple Victoria explains that her grandmother married for love in Eridon, but the Mahtava government didn't recognise the marriage. The grandmother and grandfather tried to make it work, but eventually split up and he went back to Eridon. Victoria's mother and grandmother stayed in Mahtava and became farmers.
Victoria and Jaromir spend a couple days in Valara before leaving back for Zelenia.
===26 May 1496===
After some time the Elven delegation arrive back in Zelenia. Jaromir is prepared, wearing fancy robes with silver embroidery around the edges, and to eat the silver and salt again. Victoria is agitated. She admits that she has grown fond of Jaromir and is frustrated the ways that he is enslaved. 
Jaromir meets with the elves. After some greet ceremonies, Jaromir is surrounded by 7 elves, each wearing the holy symbol of a different Greater God. The elves in turn cast spells, collect samples, and conduct experiments to try to understand Jaromir. Jaromir considers this examination the first invasive examination he has ever undergone. Jaromir is told by Chancellor Angel the end all the rests will be repeated tomorrow.
Jaromir feels hurt and shame, and after being left alone in the room, heads to the balcony an reflects. A priest comes in and scolds Jaromir for dragging blood across the room. Jaromir is taken down to the baths. Jaromir reconsiders the bath as just their way of preserving him as a subject, and the locked door at night to keep him in rather than to protect him. Like a bird in a cage that is being studied.
The next day the examinations are a little different. No samples are taken, but Jaromir is asked to eat certain foods & alchemical mixes, and he is inspected. This continues for a whole week. At the end of the week a new set of samples are taken. Not once during the whole time the Elves don't speak to Jaromir once. Jaromir feels a mixture of resentment and a small anger towards elves, but he feels like they know what they are doing. He however puts most of the blame for the shame and pain on the Mahtavans.
===3 June 1496===
A couple days after the tests Victoria talks with Jaromir. She explains that the elves were told by Chancellor Angel they weren't allowed to talk to Jaromir. The head elven cleric wasn't allowed to come since he was a male. The elves had to rush tests that they would have preferred to do far more humanely. Victoria hopes that Jaromir can leave Mahtava with the elves. Jaromir asks if he is to go, that Victoria goes with him, and Victora points out that Chancellor Angel would never let him go alone without an escort.
===4 June 1496===
The next day, Jaromir talks with Chancellor Angel privately about going with the elves for more tests. Chancellor Angel feels that Jaromir has forgotten his place and that he has been treated too kindly. Jaromir is send to the dungeons. His resentment for Chancellor Angel grows stronger and stronger, and a strong desire to find out the truth of the riddle for himself, not Mahtava. For the first time Jaromir meditates.
===19 June 1496===
Jaromir is let out of the dungeons after 2 weeks, 2 days before Mother's Day. Jaromir is cleaned up and prepared for the event.
===21 June 1496===
Mother's Day is a celebration of life, and those that produce life through parades and community gathering in the streets. People wear costumes, masks, and worship Illumis and Martha. It is said to be good luck to be a child born on or conceived on Mother's Day. It is a day of exceptional fertility, and many attempts to produce children are made on this day. Every year Jaromir is put on a parade float and rides it in the parade. Once every 4 years Jaromir is allowed to go visit his mother in Yunta.
Last year Jaromir would have been preening for the crowds. Jaromir however is acting formal and perfunctory, coldly going though the motions.
Chancellor Angel afterwards is happy with how Jaromir as acted. She gives Jaromir the rest of the day to rest, and orders Heather to watch him. Jaromir passes Victoria in the halls going the other way and notices that she has suffered some form of corporal punishment. Jaromir's resentment grows stronger.
Jaromir rests in his room alone for the rest of the day. Jaromir asks one of the attendants taking away empty dishes if he is supposed to attend the night festival this year, and wonders where his outfit is. Jaromir has the attendant ask Victoria about it. After half an hour Victoria arrives with the costume. Alone, Victoria and Jaromir make their escape plans. Jaromir wears the costume and leaves with Victoria into the streets of Zelenia. With Jaromir's face disguised, the two head to the western edge of the city. 
After giving some excuses at the town gate, they leave the city on horses given by Victoria's Younger Sister, who disapproves of Victoria's actions.
Victoria and Jaromir flee to the west towards Mistrya. The ride the horses until they collapse, then continue on foot, occasionally getting rides from wagons.
===25 June 1496===
Eventually they sight Lookout Peak, a 3000-foot mountain with a watch tower on top with massive horns. Victoria and Jaromir pass by, unstopped, as they pass the border between the kingdoms. A few miles past the border Jaromir takes off his veil and cries tears of joy at the freedom and relief.
Victoria and Jaromir travel though the Vodan Plains north, after some months they reach a village outside Honeyreach. They meet a man, Egon, who looks like Jaromir, just no tattoos but has long hair in dreadlocks. He offers them both a place to stay if he is allowed to study the tattoos. Jaromir is reluctant, but he agrees, feeling exhausted.
Egon suggests that Jaromir cast stones into the stone pot outside to see if this is the right thing to do. Egon reads the stones, saying that Jaromir will have a very interesting life.
Category:Frozen Frontier Episodes