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The hunt is supposed to be a harmless bit of royal sport. Niot suspects it won't be. The fifth chapter of A Knight in Captivity is ready! ⚔️ Now with an exclusive reveal of its cover! Read it here!: www.patreon.com/Alvara/posts... #WritingCommunity #QueerWriters #Writesky

Exclusive reveal of the cover for patrons!
A blotted out cover with only A Knight in Captivity and Alvara visible save for some knightly boots and hints of a horse.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 12h

Beautiful story and art! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 13h

Went to a festival at our local Shinto shrine tonight, the second year in a row we managed to attend! Will be hopping to Korea for another 3 months soon before we're back. Prayed to the local deities that we manage to stay permanently next visit! Wish us luck! ♡

An open mouth lion statue in a Japanese Shinto shrine aglow with green from the light hitting the trees at night during a festival.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 22h

Heh, I think it's funny! I love cocky characters that say things like that.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Alexandra Rowland and JRR Tolkien. Rowland because their last few books that I read were very good and I loved them. Tolkien because I love the details he put in his writing and I would love to pick at his brain too. #LitHodgepodge

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Current writing goals are to work on A Knight in Captivity and possibly finish it before the year is out, but we'll see. Other than that I've been trying to market my writing better and get more eyes on it which is slowly working. Standard author stuff. #WritingCommunity #QueerWriters

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Finally think I've got the cover of A Knight in Captivity to the point where I like it! First look will be for patrons when Chapter Five comes out! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

The contrast of ice and fire in this is nice! Hits well! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Ooo, you can feel the attraction deepening! Lovely! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Niot can tolerate being imprisoned. He can tolerate an English commander teasing him. He can tolerate waiting for redemption for his crushing humiliation. What he can not tolerate is beginning to want the Englishman. Start A Knight in Captivity here! ♡ #WritingCommunity #QueerWriters

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

The 174 page PDF novel is here for Havage Be a Lord! Please enjoy an 1357 era M|M Romance novel between an executioner's son and a noble-to-a-fault knight attempting to survive all the Paris prisons being opened by royal subterfuge! www.patreon.com/posts/havage... #Writesky #WritingCommunity #OC

Two swords meeting in a bleeding heart and on fire, one a knight's, the other an executioner's. Cover of my new medieval era gay romance novel.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Exclusive for Patrons of the fourth chapter of A Knight in Captivity out now! An enemies-to-lovers M|M Romance novel between two knights on opposing sides of the Hundred Years war! ♡ I hope you'll give it a read! www.patreon.com/Alvara/posts... #WritingCommunity #Writesky #QueerWriters

A Knight in Captivity

An original M|M Romance Novel By Alvara

Humiliated in the Battle of Poitiers, Niot de Vendôme, a French knight with everything to prove, finds himself captive alongside the king of France by Wolfstanus "The Mori Wolf", an English commander under the dreaded Black Prince of England.

Niot soon finds himself entangled in not only royal political maneuvering and hiding his own shame of missing the entire battle while stuck under his dead horse, but also emerging feelings he develops for his English captor despite himself.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

In his discrete mission to stop Prince Philip from making a mistake while in English captivity, Niot didn't think he would be allowed to be armed during the hunt. He was surprised to find he was wrong. A first draft snippet of A Knight in Captivity! ♡（´▽｀） #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Niot was quick to return to the gluttonous Star's side, checking his mount's condition and preparing to outride the rest of the hunting party to quickly reach Prince Philip. To his surprise, his name was called out to him in a cheerful familiar voice that he wasn't expecting.

"Sir Vendôme!"

Turning around, Niot was first greeted by the sight of a boar hunting spear. The blade was short and heavy with two wings on the spearsocket below it, which Niot knew acted as a barrier to prevent the spear from penetrating too deeply into the quarry where it might get stuck or break. It was a formidable weapon. It had to be to stop an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter wielding it.

Sir Bernard was the one holding out the weapon to him, waiting for him to take it even as Wolfstanus's watchful eye turned from his own destrier to their exchange.

"You won't get far boar hunting without one of these. Will he, Commander Wolfstanus?"

"That he won't." Wolfstanus shockingly agreed. Niot couldn't help his reaction.

"You're allowing me a weapon?" Niot asked pointedly despite how he was sure that it was in his best interests to simply take the opportunity. Perhaps it would have been best if he had not, but the surprise in how casually Wolfstanus had agreed to giving him one without a second thought had caught him off guard. He had expected to be forced into the category of simply observing rather than participating.

"Of course! I assume you'll make me come to regret it." Wolfstanus said the latter with a cheerful tone despite his words.

Chapter Five will be ready soon! ♡ Patrons get to see the full chapters while I'm writing and editing the story! So if you would like to peek deeper into this story, please consider joining!

Thank you so much for reading and your support, even if you simply share my writing with friends or indulge by yourself! ♡（´▽｀）

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

In trying to answer as Niot, I got him: ISTP, Virtuoso · The Craftsman And Wolfstanus is ENFP, Campaigner · The Champion Niot would be pissed that Wolfstanus got one called the Champion instead of him, but I answered them as who they really are, not what they want to be. #LitHodgepodge

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Thank you! I hoped it would come across a little jarring.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Okay, this one was really great! Loved Kadou and Evemer's growth and relationship development. It's going on the favorites shelf. #Booksky

A Taste of Gold and Iron displayed on the Storygraph app with a 5 out of 5 star review.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Niot constantly compares himself to the image of an ideal knight, tripping over himself over and over to try to match it perfectly. Wolfstanus compares himself to his father, never wishing to become him, in a way that will cause tension soon within their story. #AwesomeCharacters #WritingCommunity

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

In painting the scene for the royal hunt in Chapter Five of A Knight in Captivity (coming out soon!), I like to think I used these quite effectively to create a blissful winter forest scene, and shatter it right after with the chaos of preparations for the hunt. #LitHodgepodge #WritingCommunity

White blanketed the ground as far as the eye could see. It clung to tree branches, forming crystals that sparkled like jewels across every surface that wasn't soft with freshly fallen snow. The forest was serene in the slowly brightening dawn as the dark skies gently turned a lighter and lighter blue. Undisturbed and quiet. Like a painting on a palace wall one could ride through upon horseback.

Until the sight of the camp for the hunt slowly came into view.

The baying hounds were ravenous upon the frost covered morning. Muzzles snapped through the air. Spit flew. Gruff barking rang across the glittering bark of the forest in a cacophonous repeating echo that shook the trees until one feared they would shatter like glass. Many of the hounds pulled excitedly upon the ropes binding them to their masters as the huntsmen prepared for the lords and royals to arrive.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

I love the visuals written here! Also nice handwriting! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

It'll be a forest in winter filled with boar during a hunt. Though it also has other hunters within it whom might not have Niot's best interest at heart.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

When a book is so good you have to quickly line up the next read so that you won't get a horrid book hangover. In other words, A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is really good. #Booksky

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I'm mainly using Historical settings based on real events so my use is more scene by scene. I use the Forest Archetypal setting for both danger and growth as well as a cave for hidden truths in my current chapter to entangle Niot and Wolfstanus further! Hohoho! ♡ #LitHodgepodge

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Ooo, lovely tension throughout!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Niot: Strength, honor, courage, the real perfect picture of a knight. Wolfstanus: Someone who never bores him, who reacts strongly, determined, bold, and who hates him enough for there to be enough distance between them for safety. #LitHodgepodge

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I like to think the very opening of A Knight in Captivity is the best example of the narrative voice present within it. It's one of my favorite parts as well. #LitHodgepodge #QueerWriters #WritingCommunity

Chapter One

How brave can one man be before fortune stops favoring him?

Niot found out upon that battlefield.

Though perhaps fortune had abandoned him the day his younger brother, bound for knighthood, fell from his horse and broke his leg quite severely. Severe enough that he would never ride again. Niot had cheered inwardly when his brother took his place at the monastery.

Perhaps that had been when fortune first decide to frown upon him. Scorned him for his behavior after its first favor to him.

Corpses were strewn all around Niot now. Suffering. Dying. Dead. It mattered little.

The battle outside of Poitiers was over.

Niot, a proud knight of the kingdom of France, stared up at the dark clouds of a dusk sky threatening to pour and mix with the red spilled upon the earth. It would make boot torn ground nothing but mud and mangled flesh. His face was cold and expressionless as he felt the first few droplets of rain hit his brow.

His horse pinned his legs. Dead. Still bleeding. The cooling warmth of the liquid oozed between the metal rings of the mail he wore and stained the blue of his pourpoint the same color of the enemy. Barely any of the blood was his own. That hurt more than the weight keeping him flat on his back upon the ground.

He didn't even feel the Bodkin arrow in his armored shoulder over the pain of his pinned legs. The same arrows had embedded themselves in his horse's hindquarters where there was far less barding, seeming to sprout as he rode like flowers violently blooming before it was too much for his destrier to take. One had pierced easily through his own mail, but its target wasn't his sword arm, so it mattered just as little as the remains of the men beside his horse did to him.

His injury was nothing. The wound to his pride was far greater. Oozing and threatening to consume him as he laid there.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Love the emotion here and the thousands of years old yet jealous like a teenager is funny! I like it!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

You never know what study might come in handy in the end. This is good! I like this section! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Ooo, compelling! I can feel the spite and it's very justified.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Ellipsus is really good! I switched to it years ago and haven't looked back.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Sending some good fortune your way! ♡ May all the rough spots be behind you!

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jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

holy shit!! artists!!! you guys!! pinlite.app someone made a pinterest facade site that just strips away all the dumb bullshit and gives you only the images this is AMAAZINNNGGGG. Not to mention the web 1.0 grey and blue link vibe lol

screenshot of PinLite, a skin of pinterest that's just taken away all the bs and only shows the images, on a grey web 1.0 background

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Oh, Sleep Token! 100% the band I listen to whenever I get in a lull while writing. I would be over the moon if they would write a song about my gay knights. #LitHodgepodge

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Went to see Resident Evil in a Japanese movie theater and let me tell you, you *have* to get the ICEE with fruit puree in it. Absolutely fantastic combination! ♡ Worth every yen!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I'm Alvara and I write hardcore smut while also caring an unreasonable amount about characterization, heart fluttering romance, historical detail, and making you heavily emotionally invested before things get filthy. #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Thank you! ♡ This story is my baby right now so it being me joy to hear that!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Thank you! ♡ I spent ages trying to get the feelings and imagery just right and I'm glad it comes across well!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Like this snippet? Read more on my Patreon! ♡ Patrons get to see the full chapters before the book is finished while I'm writing and editing the story! So if you would like to peek deeper into this story, please consider joining! www.patreon.com/c/Alvara

patreon.com

Alvara — Creating M|M Romance about Knights and Political Intrigue

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

If Niot can goad his captor into taking him along on the royal hunt, perhaps he can stop young Prince Philip from doing something rash. Except Niot may have underestimated how easily the tension between him and Wolfstanus could become something more than hostility. #WritingCommunity #QueerWriters

"Are you sure that you won't be bored?"

Wolfstanus stopped in his tracks then. He didn't even try to force his way past as Niot leaned more into his path. Instead, his eyes met Niot's with a pointed turn of his head and a raise of his brow, silently prompting Niot to continue. The air shifted. A chance was given.

"Merely watching royals hunt?" Niot dropped his voice a bit, daring to get in Wolfstanus's face a bit more than he liked as he pressed his intent on going as hard as he could. "It's not like you can take the kill. You're going out there to scare the boar into your prince's path. Are you even allowed to get a single stab in? Or are you just a baying hound for your lord? Not a drop of blood yours for the taking, Wolf. You'll be exhausted with the whole affair within the hour and we both know the hunt could go on until evening."

Something shifted in Wolfstanus's jaw. It seemed that Niot had hit the nail on the head and even managed to strike a little bit of a nerve while doing so. A victory.

Yet the Englishman's smile didn't lessen. In fact, he stood strong against Niot's taunt within his personal space.

Meanwhile, Niot had realized he had gotten a fair bit closer than he had thought he would. There was only a hair's breadth between them now. He had expected Wolfstanus to do something, anything, but the man had stayed perfectly still. It spiked his heart rate being this unnervingly close.

"And your presence would change that how?" Wolfstanus challenged. His eyes dropped for a single word. Niot caught that the man had glanced at his lips this close.

Neither acknowledged the fumble, however.

Niot ignored his own reaction to it. The heightened senses of how close they stood and how it was not all intimidation anymore, as much as he denied it entirely in the very second he observed it. The fact that he forgot for just a second what they had been talking about as the tension changed into something else caught him completely off guard.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I really liked that too! Felt a bit like grumpy Bilbo Baggins and I loved that character type being the lead in a romance!

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Really liked this book! ♡ One of the best ones I've read this year! I definitely recommend reading it.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Thank you! ♡ I try really hard to 'paint the picture' mentally for the reader so they can follow it along easily enough.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

In stabbing my hand while cooking, I have come to realize that I use my left thumb for the space bar while writing far more than I thought. I have to be very careful not to use it right now. It's great reference for the gore coming up though! ♡

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A hunt, royalty, and a foolish young prince who may be planning something far more dangerous than sport. Niot has to stop him before any blood is spilled. A snippet from the fifth chapter of A Knight in Captivity. ⚔️ #WritingCommunity #Writesky #QueerWriters

That was the real thing keeping Niot awake in the night; the constant mulling over a method of making Wolfstanus be stained so thoroughly with sin that the remains of the French army in Paris would be compelled into a siege upon the fort in Bordeaux. Such a task was not simple in the slightest. It would need to be perfectly timed, perfectly framed, and perfectly affective for what he needed it to accomplish.

The planned hunt upon the week's end so shortly after their arrival granted Niot a horrid idea on what Prince Philip may have planned in tandem.

It would be everything but the method he was seeking. It would not be honorable. Nor would it in any way aligned with principle.

After all, the best way for the English to rile up the French now would be an attempt on King John's life or his son's while already surrendered. A hunt was the perfect stage.

Something even accidental would be more than enough for the foulest of nobility to set aside their distaste for the Dauphin to join him in battle. The remainder of the French army would be pushed back into the conflict whether they wanted to be or not. To not pledge their banner to save their royal line would make them no more than a traitor to their own country, even if many desired a different ruler in order to push their own influence. It would ruin reputation of any noble lord who would not in a far more permanent manner than their cowardice at Poitiers.

Yet, as Sir Jacques de Bourbon and the good archbishop had mentioned, the death of royalty between the two kingdoms would draw out war for another century, or until both nations were in ruin. It would need to fail. But failure without blood drawn wouldn't be enough to force France's hand. To work as the king's circle desired, it needed to be pressed just far enough for scandal, but not ruin. One that Paris would no doubt hear of.

Prince Philip would not have such a careful hand to guarantee that it would not come to more than that, however.

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I decide on the romance I want then pull out one of those 120 volume character questionnaires and answer them. Most of the time I don't need to fill it all out before the character solidifies, but it helps tremendously. World is usually historical so research! #WeeknightWriters #FirstDraftFall

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Alvara🔞 @alvara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Hello, hello! So glad to see more press that uplift queer voices! ♡

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