Teach me the Truths about Love (M/M historical fantasy romance)

[FrancisWarlock]

I'm looking for a writing partner for a M/M historical fantasy romance set in the 16th century Scotland. The story I have in mind is a spin-off of the Tam Lin legend. Naturally, this tale differs from the original ballad.

For the start, instead of the Queen of Fairies, Tam Lin is involved with their King, Oberon. He is the king's favorite knight, and the sworn guardian of the elfin sacred pool in the woods of Carterhaugh. Any trespasser upon the elven grounds there must pay him a toll, in the form of something that they hold dear. And no, he won't accept a lass' maidenhead for the toll, as the local tales would have it. He has no erotic or romantic interest in women. In fact, he loves the elvenking, though he considers this devotion to be hopeless and one-sided.

He has no idea how wrong he is in thinking that Oberon doesn't return his feelings. The misunderstanding stems partly from the fact that he hasn't yet mastered all ways of the fairies (for he had been a mortal man before he became Tam Lin of the Elves), and in part from his own past. As a mortal, he had so little experience with being on the receiving end of anyone's genuine affection that he's failing to correctly interpret signs of Oberon's love for him. It doesn't help that he doesn't think himself worthy of love in the first place.

As a mortal man, Tam Lin was a retainer of a local evil lord whom he served as his attack dog, a favorite whipping boy (mostly figuratively, though he would sometimes get physically assaulted if the lord was in a foul mood), and an occasional bedwarmer (when the lord sought to humiliate him). Though he would never disobey the lord in his plain sight, his compassion at times interfered with the lord's plans. Prisoners would 'inexplicably' escape right under his nose, tax monies would be 'stolen' from him, time and again he would fail to apprehend troublemakers who opposed the lord's injustice. The more it showed that he had a heart, the less valuable he became to his master. To his misfortune, he was nothing without the lord and breaking free of him would have meant a certain death. Thus he endured the abuse till the day when he got abducted by Oberon.

That felt much like deliverance to Tam Lin. He doesn't know what the king saw in him or why he chose to save him, but he is thankful for the act of kindness.

The years of mistreatment in the hands of his erstwhile lord have left him scarred. He suffers from a sickness of the heart that surfaces when he's distraught. He's quick to anger and when his emotions run high, he's prone to serious errors of judgment. Quite a minor misunderstanding with the King can thus throw him in a fit of inflamed temper.

It is in the midst of one such bout of anger that a trespass summons him to the Carterhaugh pool where he comes upon a handsome stranger (whose back story will be up to my writing partner to decide). What happens between them that it spurs Tam Lin to stray will best be left to the natural unfolding of their first interaction. It might lead to a mere kiss or something more, depending on how susceptible the stranger will be to elfin charms.

Perhaps Oberon witnesses the infidelity, perhaps just a "friend" tells on Tam Lin. Either way, the King gets gripped by jealousy. And the said "friend" can advise Tam Lin to get away while he can, namely before the King gives him away as a tithe to Hell. The "friend" surely has their own reasons to be rid of Tam Lin (we can brainstorm what those are). In any case, Tam Lin is quite a gullible soul, rather easy to be led on. That coupled with a fact that he feels that he should end up in Hell (for things he did on his erstwhile lord's command) will likely be enough for him to believe "the friend's" warning and to seek an escape. Who better to help him than the stranger he has encountered by the sacred pool.

In this version however, the escape goes wrong at some point, and both the would be rescuer (the stranger) and Tam Lin end up in the fairy land, with Oberon most displeased with them. Nevertheless, the elvenking doesn't have any intention to give up either of them to Hell, so there's some comfort in that... How things unfold further will be up to the trio. Ideally, they will all end up together, though they will have quite a rocky path toward that happily ever after.

I will write Tam Lin and Oberon, and am looking for someone to write the handsome trespasser. This story is not on a first come, first serve basis. Your writing style should mesh well with mine.

What I need from my writing partner:
1) Great writing skills
Make me fall in love with your writing. Write with such level of detail that the settings become real, the characters alive. I strongly prefer posts that are at least four to five paragraphs long and show a good command of grammar and spelling. I would like to keep a renaissance feel to this tale, so I would ask for avoidance of modern expressions (words like PTSD, adrenaline etc. which are unknown in this story's setting)
2) Solid world-building skills
3) Interest in long-term co-writing and a reasonable posting frequency
I would like to write this story with someone who is willing to stick with their stories from start to finish and isn't in the habit of abandoning them midway through. I'm content with a post every 7-10 days, and can patiently wait longer if you let me know the reason for a delay.

As for the erotic content, I expect the story to involve some D/s dynamics. Oberon is a dominant in the bedroom (a caring one. His dominance isn't of an abusive nature). Tam Lin gravitates toward the dominant side of the spectrum himself. Though he is submissive toward Oberon, he would rear up and lash out should anyone else try to dominate him. With that in mind, their ideal shared partner would likely have a submissive nature in bed (but still be a strong soul with a spine of steel) and possess a caring streak that shows. I don't imagine this story to be particularly kinky. Tam Lin and Oberon are both alright with including sexual elements listed in my Ons/Offs under the heading Likes.

Kinks that don't fit this plot: besides the fairly common offs (scat, watersports, vore, vomit), I have no interest to write about the following kinks in this tale: crossdressing, sissification, bestiality, non-con, gangbangs, humiliation (this one can be touched upon when Tam Lin gets lost in a memory of his erstwhile lord, but it has no place in his current romantic relationship).

Interested?

Meet Tam Lin



and Oberon



As for the suggested face claim for the trespasser, both Tam Lin and Oberon have a preference for one of the likenesses below:





If you think you can and would love to write the handsome trespasser, please PM me.