by storyofyears | Jul 6, 2025 | Romance
Chapter 1: The Feast of SpringThe low sun scattered gold across the encampment of Attila the Hun, where hundreds of felt tents sprawled beside the Tisza river. The air was thick with the scents of roasting meat, horse sweat, and woodsmoke, and the noise of men...
by storyofyears | Jul 5, 2025 | Coming-of-Age
Chapter 1: The Bells of Saint-PierreThe bell of Saint-Pierre tolled seven times, each peal slow and heavy, sending echoes rolling through the narrow streets of Avignon. Luc de Mirepoix paused at the threshold of his family’s shop, a bolt of woven linen clutched in his...
by storyofyears | Jul 4, 2025 | Political Intrigue
Chapter 1: The Emperor’s Last WinterThe winter of 1125 bit hard in Mainz. Frost sheathed the cathedral’s spires, and the Rhine moved sluggishly under its crust of ice. Within the stone-clad corridors of the imperial palace, silence pressed as heavily as the snow...
by storyofyears | Jul 3, 2025 | War Story
Chapter 1: The Shadow of MausolusThe city of Halicarnassus glowed in the early morning, its limestone walls catching the first gold of the sun as fishing boats slipped from the harbor. In the palace above, the air was heavy and still. The satrap Mausolus, lord of...
by storyofyears | Jul 1, 2025 | War Story
Chapter 1: The Last Light of AlexandriaThe Mediterranean wind swept through the battered streets of Alexandria. Dust drifted over marble columns and the once-glorious facades of temples now repurposed as makeshift barracks. The scent of salt, smoke, and fear hung...
by storyofyears | Jun 29, 2025 | Mystery
Chapter 1: The Shadow Over JerusalemJerusalem, 598 BC The city groaned beneath the weight of dread. The wind carried the distant clatter of armor from Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian host, camped just beyond sight, their banners flickering like tongues of fire against the...
