The 14 Days of Blessing Day 2: What is the Binding?
The prizes up for grabs include:
A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book
A free paperback of The Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available
One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or
the dove Rusephine)
You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked
A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)
And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!
Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:
-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)
And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).
Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!
So, without further ado...
What is the Binding?
The Binding is a powerful magic that has ruled over Azaria for many centuries. But rather than try to explain it all myself, I thought it would be better if you heard from an expert...
So allow Eliza, the protagonist of the Goddess Saga, to reveal all! Along with her friends Adam and Ryan...
[transcript of animation]
Eliza: Hi again everyone, it's time for some more exciting Azarian lore!
Eliza: ...well, actually, I was thinking. We've covered some interesting stuff so far, but I guess you guys probably don't know much about the Binding spell, right?
Eliza: So, today's topic is just that. I'll explain what we know about the spell, the basics of how it works, and how society has come to live with this uncontrollable curse.
Adam: It's not really a curse, Eliza. You just call it that.
Eliza: Well it is to me!
Ryan: ...low blow, Eliza.
Eliza: *blush* Look, just stop it already! I don't need you two interrupting, so just stand there and be quiet.
Adam: Yes ma'am.
Ryan: Hmph.
Eliza: ANYWAY...let's start with the basics. The Binding spell is the only known magic to exist in Azaria. Scholars estimate it's been around for just over a thousand years. Nobody knows how it came to be, other than the various myths floating around. The church believes the Goddess created the spell in hopes of seeding harmony into the country, as it was around this time that the great war between Azaria and the old kingdom of Esturia ended.
Eliza: This marked the end of Azaria's Age of Darkness and the beginning of the Age of the Goddess, where the Goddess religion took over from the previous pagan animal deities.
Adam: Hey, wait a minute, where did you learn all this?
Eliza: I'm a protagonist, it comes with the territory.
Ryan: You're also a pretty unreliable narrator...
Eliza: What did I say about interrupting?!
Adam and Ryan: *gulp*
Eliza: Right, where was I...oh yeah. Now this is where it gets a little complicated. We've talked about the Tale of the Binding, which is how most people believe the spell came to be. But it took centuries of research before scholars got to understand how it actually works.
Eliza: From what we know so far, there's no way to predict who the Binding will affect. It doesn't have to run in families, and only around fifteen percent of the population are exposed at any one time. And from working with my father, I know there's a core symptom that everyone who falls under the spell suffers.
Eliza: This is called the 'instigation sign', and it's a short-lived but intense sensation of a crushing pain in the chest. About a week after this, the person will then develop their 'courtship' symptom- their physical warning that they are going to enter their vulnerable period. They experience this again when their courtship ends. For me, it was stomach cramps.
Ryan: And for me it was migraines.
Eliza: Interesting...
Ryan: Actually Eliza, can I take over here? I read a lot of books about the workings of the spell.
Eliza: Well, if you insist...
Ryan: Thanks. Basically, when the spell first appeared, it worked slightly differently. The Binding was supposed to enhance the relationship of known lovers, whereas now it causes compulsions to be formed between strangers. But several conditions have to be met for this to happen.
Ryan: Firstly, the spell itself has two parts. The first, as Eliza mentioned, is 'courtship'. This is when a person enters a period of vulnerability, usually lasting between a few hours or a whole day. If that person then has any shared feeling with another in this time- even something as small as a greeting or something as big as saving a life- they will be Bound to that person.
Ryan: However, if they manage to avoid this and courtship ends, they're spared until the next courtship period. The time between courtships can be anything from a few weeks to a few months apart. This part of the spell tends to start in adolescence, and it will continue lifelong unless they become Bound.
Ryan: There are also lots of smaller rules that govern the formation of a Binding-like the physical distance between people and such- but I won't go into too much detail. Bindings are also are one-off- you can't become Bound again to anyone else.
Ryan: The second part is the Binding itself. Once the connection has formed, it will try to draw the couple together. The one who had been under courtship will feel the brunt of this first, as the spell works more slowly on the other partner. Initially the Binding will stir physical desires through blushes, palpitations and longing.
Eliza: *mutter* And involuntary movements in inappropriate situations...
Ryan: Then it can progress to suggestion of memory and more forceful methods. Since most Binding are planned, it doesn't usually get further than this stage as the couple were already lovers beforehand. Partners in unwanted Binding can still resist, but soon the compulsions become too strong and they can't.
Adam: So what about family, then? Surely they can have an instant of shared feeling with a relative under courtship?
Eliza: They can, and that doesn't stop the spell. Hence why most people either hide away or they can give non-verbal warnings, like wearing a white ribbon. Once someone has felt the instigation and realised they're going to experience courtship, they can then make the family aware.
Eliza: But relatives still have to be extremely careful, because if they try to protect a person under courtship directly, then THEY will become Bound to their family member.
Adam: Yikes, that's not good.
Eliza: So while people might warn their families, they'll tend not to let outsiders know, as sadly there are people out there who will try to force a Binding.
Adam: But it can't all be bad, Eliza. The Binding is meant to create a stable union. So if a couple are really dedicated to each other, entering a Binding is one of the highest honours of commitment. It prevents them ever falling out of love.
Eliza: Hey, who's side are you on here?
Adam: Just trying to give a balanced view.
Eliza: Sure. Anyway, um, what's left...oh, of course. So why can't anyone escape a Binding? The answer is two-fold. The first is the backlash. If one partner tries to murder the other, either directly or indirectly, the magic will kill both partners. Of course this is extremely rare anyway, as the Binding encourages affection, not anger.
Ryan: But suicide doesn't result in a backlash.
Eliza: Really? How do you know?
Ryan: ...rather not say.
Eliza: Oh, okay...
Eliza: Um, anyway, the second reason Bindings are inescapable is slightly more common, and that's the Parting. So, if the Bound partner and Bindee are further than half a mile apart, Parting will begin. This tends to consist of vivid hallucinations, wracking pains and convulsions. If the partners are reunited within twenty-four hours, this can be reversed. If not, they'll become Unbound. They lose their senses, personality and memories, and turn into empty husks. They can only respond to basic physical urges, nothing else. Those unfortunate enough to have become Unbound are cared for in Unbound Asylums, and so far they remain incurable.
Eliza: Such a wonderful, fairytale magic, eh?
Eliza: There's probably a few other bits and pieces I haven't touched here, but we're still studying the curse, after all. I'll save them for a later date.
Adam: Phew! Can we go eat now? I'm starving!
Eliza: *sigh*
Ryan: He he he...
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