Preface
Welcome to the preface, of sorts, to The Badger And The Oak. This story is one taking place in the late High Middle Ages of the Holy Roman Empire, a setting often passed over in favor of grander happenings elsewhere in the world. As such, it is not a hero's tale, but one of deuteragonists Justine and Kaetherlin. To get some things out of the way: no, there is no heterosexual explanation and yes, the story is a slowburn. I understand that patience is always finite, so take these words as a promise that I have no intention of baiting readers. That said, it will take quite some time for our deuteragonists to properly meet. I also have no intention of writing graphic sexual assault into my story despite its obvious presence in less egalitarian times as well our own modern world.
There will, of course, be other unpleasant themes such as violence, sickness, death, and homophobia as befitting of the setting. While I am not a historian, I have made a reasonable effort to preserve historical plausibility. I do not believe that any of the events of this story took place and I have attempted to not attribute actions to any known historical figures. And why should I? A billion tales of love and loss have slipped through the sieve of ages, each no less meaningful than our own. I've neither the sources nor skill to reconstruct any of those tales, but I hope this story touches on the humanity that they also shared. If any knowledgeable soul has enough of a relevant understanding of the period as to be able to provide corrections, do not hesitate to reach out in the comments or via email.
Finally, as any dual linguist already knows, one can translate a sentence word for word and arrive at wildly different meanings depending on context and societal norms. I am writing this story in 2023 English, which will obviously not resemble the Middle German of the setting. Expect the dialogue to be slightly dated and Germanicised, but otherwise written in such a way as to convey what the characters meant rather than what would have been said in situ. Most will find this clarification obvious and unnecessary, but I do wish for all readers to consider that there has been a richness to spoken word present for all of recorded history. Without constant effort, it is easy to attribute a lesser complexity to the speech and thought of our ancestors, but I do not expect their depths were any shallower.
The release schedule will be Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting on January 4th. Thank you for joining me on this endeavor.
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