Developing a sword & sorcery romance

[Tyrannohotep]

I have a story in the works which I would call a sword & sorcery romance. It's fundamentally about a man and woman from two very different cultures and social stations fighting to preserve their unlikely relationship.

The male lead comes from a stocky white race of hunter-gatherers who eke their nomadic existence out in the snowy tundra of the far north. But he's come down to the black kingdom of Ekhaptu far to the south in search of adventure and prosperity as a mercenary fighter. The female lead on the other hand is the Queen of Ekhaptu, who's struggling to restore her empire to its former glory as a promise to her late father.

Even though our protagonists come from visibly different races and walks of life, they've developed this romance behind the public eye, but the Queen's top general is suspicious. He believes that, if "white seed soils the purity of black blood", it will ruin the Ekhaptan dynasty's future and so plans to marry the Queen himself. And if she doesn't cooperate, he will use magic to kill the "barbarian" hero himself.

The story itself remains a bit murky to me, but I know it will be about the hero and heroine resisting the general and the magical monsters (mostly anthropomorphic savanna animals) he summons. The problem is that I started writing the first couple of scenes before I really got to know the male and female lead, so the one person I've had review it said they felt underdeveloped. He said the Queen felt like nothing more than a "sex trophy" (presumably because I had written from the male lead's point of view).

Right now what I'm trying to figure out is what brings my barbarian mercenary and mighty Queen of Ekhaptu together. I know there's a strong element of physical attraction between the two, but I want to add an extra layer of psychological bonding so they don't seem superficial. I'm thinking the guy admires the Queen's intelligence, education, and compassion, whereas she in turn digs his rugged courage and sense of humor.

So how would you develop a romance between such different characters?

P.S. Concept art for these two characters can be found here.

 

[Michael Stone]

How do you have them meet? The first meeting is important. Does he admire her from afar, or does she notice him in some sports event?

Or you could stage an event that introduces them to each other. Perhaps her life is endangered somehow and he rescues her. That sets things off. Then maybe a little flirting, a reward for rescue, a meaningful conversation sharing something they have in common, common interests and common goals. Basically the same things we all look for in a relationship today, but without the texting.

Have their cultures ever encountered each other before? Maybe her father was respected among his people. Could something that happened between their ancestors/parents that lead them to a shared moment? Were their people allies or enemies?

A common foe also often brings people closer together, and it sounds like you have a good one in the general.

 

[kmtolan]

Remember, both characters may be cast in epic roles, but they're still human. It might be something far simpler calling them. Perhaps from their past, or from their flaws or insecurity. Nobody's prefect, after all.

 

[Chen]

What if he gets caught and captured in her country? And the first time she meets him, he's her prisoner?

 

[Tyrannohotep]

What if he gets caught and captured in her country? And the first time she meets him, he's her prisoner?

I did consider that idea. I also considered the possibility that he was shipped there by slavers and then freed, perhaps after impressing her (maybe by demonstrating his fighting skills in some fighting pit?). But yeah, I think the suggestions raised here that I consider how these two met are very helpful.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

The affection one of your characters gains for the other could be in seeing them with someone else. There could be a time when they show compassion for the suffering of another person or go out of their way to help someone. This would demonstrate more about who the person truly is when they are not putting on airs for the sake of their role in society.
Circumstances could force them to have to work together and you could build the relationship from that. This would also mean little or no romance early in the story. Another option is hat one of them is trying to make someone else jealous by pretending to like the other MC, but they begin to develop real felling for them.
A few options that quickly came to mind. Hope tis sparks a few ideas.

 

[Chen]

You could even go one step further and have her being outright cruel to him to begin with, or put him in a situation where he thinks she's amazing and is really keen to impress her, but it takes a lot to do it. Only when he's about to give up does her guard weaken. Loads of potential variants, but looking forward to hearing which you pick!

 

[Kal Bashir]

So how would you develop a romance between such different characters?

AVATAR

 

[jgmartin]

This may sound simplistic, but to @kmtolan 's point they are human. So, what attracted you to your spouse/significant other?

For example, I "met" my wife at my cousin's graduation party. She made a joke about getting knocked up by the next guy she met because her Mom wanted grandchildren. I thought it was hilarious. But we didn't even speak at the party. I asked my cousin about her later after I started thinking about the joke.

The first meeting doesn't even have to be a direct interaction. Something like what @K.S. Crooks said. See them do something that sparks their interest or admiration.