Instead of Freebie Friday, today I thought I'd share with you one of my earliest attempts at writing fantasy. :) It's pretty ... um... sad, but you know, you have to start somewhere!
Prologue
He could not go on, but he had to; for the sake of the kingdom and for the lives of everyone he had ever known or loved. And so, on he rode. He raced as if pursued by every worst nightmare that had ever been dreamed, and in truth, he may have been.
"I seek an audience with the King of Ramricte. His Majesty the King Reidon," the exhausted man gasped as he flung himself from his weary horse. Though it was against all regulations, the Captain of the Guard could be flexible. Even though this young boy was a stranger, had given no passwords, and had not even asked politely, there was something in his brown eyes that made the Captain look twice.
The Captain of the Guard was known throughout the kingdom for what people called his “sixth sense.” He often acted on instinct and impulse, but he was also known for getting results and for being right. He trusted his instinct and that, more than his marvelous skills at horsemanship and in combat, had gotten him his title. He was a man of thought and a man of action, and these two traits had gotten him and the King’s army safely out of many dangerous situations.
He sensed now that this youth, a young man of perhaps twenty years, had urgent news that the King needed to hear. So, without a word, the Captain led the boy into the throne room.
"Who comes to me on such a fine day?" The King asked cheerfully, looking at the man whom the Captain of the Guard had brought before him. The boy was tall, with fine, strong features. His cheekbones were high, and he had a look of nobility in his eyes. He walked as one acquainted with the outdoors and he wore the sword at his side as if he had been born with it strapped to him.
"It is a fine day, but it is not fine tidings nor fine reasons that bring me into your council Your Majesty, it is I, Jorge." His voice was deep, clear, and full of strength.
The King started. That name was the last one he had expected and it struck him in the heart: the name of his son, the Crown Prince of Ramricte. Reidon loved his son, and had been deeply wounded when he was forced to sign the charges that had been brought against the prince nearly five years past.
"You were exiled from this kingdom and disinherited from the throne for your wanton act of horse thievery, a crime that stands just below murder." Reidon said, as sternly as he could, still not able to believe the words that he was compelled to say. Horses were the most valuable resource in Ramricte and horse thieves were punished severely, no matter whose son they were.
"A sin I did not commit father. But that is not what I came to discuss with you. Believe me, I would rather stay away a hundred years than shame my family. I came back because Horneblend marches this way, his troops number near ten thousand. His blue and white banners march only a two days' journey from here. Either evacuate or fight, father, but whatever you choose, I had to come and warn you in time to get the women and children out."
The King's features softened, "We shall evacuate the women and children, we may have time. But Ramricte has never surrendered in its long history. We will fight."
Chapter One
Adrianna Stanton was not a fairy tale princess. Indeed, she seemed anything but. She was the normal daughter of normal parents who worked hard for a living and made it by with few luxuries. Life had never been perfect for them, but it had never been too hard either.
Adrianna was a very mature child for her ten years of age. She could be sent on practically any errand and be trusted not to wander about, but to carry out instructions and come directly home. It was on one such errand that Adrianna had a somewhat unpleasant encounter that she would later be grateful for.
She had gone into the market to buy some flour, her mother was baking bread, when trumpets had started blowing, and men had started shouting, "Make way! Make way for the Princess!"
Everything had been in confusion as people scrambled to get out of the way of the guards. But Adrianna, confused and awed, had become rooted to the ground in the middle of the path as she stared, spellbound, at the approaching wonder.
Coming towards her was a parade of sorts. In front were armed guards, marching in time, carrying dangerous looking swords and dressed in sparkling armor, with medallions of every shape, size, and color clinking and clanging against the armor. Behind them was a litter made out of what appeared to be gold, with a roof and beautiful silk curtains of more colors than Adrianna could name. Surrounding the litter and its bearers was an escort of seven guards on horseback, and what horses! They took Adrianna's breath away, the prancing, spirited, proud animals held in check by nothing more than a few pieces of leather and metal.
She was jerked out of her daze as a guard pushed her roughly out of the way. She fell with a startled cry, more surprised than hurt. She was angry; no one had ever treated her in such a fashion. She was about to jump at the guard when a voice commanded with authority, "HALT! Bring her to me."
"My lady," the guard stammered, "She is a ruffian, a peasant, a dirty little orphan causing trouble."
"I am NOT an orphan and I'm not dirty!" Adrianna cried in outrage.
"You dare question my authority?" The princess, for it was indeed the princess, asked the guard, arching an eyebrow and staring haughtily at the guard.
"N-no my l-lady," he said. Hurriedly, and not too gently, he pushed Adrianna towards the princess.
"What is your name, child?" The princess asked kindly.
The little girl gazed up at the young princess in wonder. The princess was only about a year older than herself, but the differences between them were distinct. The princess wore a dress of bright blue silk, made with much more material than anyone needed for one garment. Her face was perfect and her mannerisms were dainty. But they stared at each other with the same direct and royal gaze, neither one willing to break that gaze first.
"We asked you a question." The princess said, breaking the cool air between them.
Adrianna suddenly became aware of what she had been doing and who she was in the world,
"Adrianna, Highness." She answered, curtsying slightly.
Knowing she had won, the princess smiled, "We will not forget you, Adrianna. If we can ever make up for our guard's rude behavior towards you, you have only to ask."
"Thank you, Highness." Adrianna said, almost matching the princess’ cool tone.
"Drive on!" The princess ordered in a voice that said any further conversation was not about to happen. The guards marched forward shouting their usual call of "Make way!"
Adrianna stood looking after them until they were out of sight. She was bewildered and confused. First the Princess Kalinda offered to make up for what her guard had done, and then she acted as if nothing had happened and Adrianna was just a peasant once more. Suddenly she was crowded around by people who had watched the whole exchange. They clamored at her for what the Princess had said to her and why? And they asked her over and over what exactly had happened, and what had she said? Suddenly Adrianna felt very small and she did not like the feeling at all. She felt like she was a nobody in the eyes of everyone. She was nothing more than a little peasant girl who had gotten in the way and had to be dealt with before word got out that the Royal Guards went around pushing and harming civilians. Adrianna fled from the marketplace towards home, determined to forget the days' events, to forget even that this day had even happened.
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
May 06, 2011
April 15, 2011
Freebie Friday
Another excerpt from my new project: Grayden's Tale (which is just my working title) - it's the same one I've been posting excerpts from for a while now...
******
The first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, illuminating the thin layer of frost that covered the ground. Each blade of grass glistened in the nacreous light of dawn. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the warmth of its rays gradually melted the frost into crystal beads of water.
The village was draped in garlands of late-summer flowers. Unlit lanterns lined the walkways of the town. Multi-colored ribbons fluttered from various doorways and were wrapped around fence posts, swaying gently in the morning breeze. The town was a veritable wash of color and cheer.
“Grayden! Wake up! Wake up! Today is Harvest Festival.”
Grayden groaned and threw an arm above his head, squeezing his eyes shut and pulling his blanket over his face. He did not know what time it was, but he was certain it was earlier than he wanted it to be. A small, but powerful force landed on his stomach.
“Oof,” he grunted.
The covers were pulled back and he squinted blearily into a pair of bright green eyes. He sighed, he would never get back to sleep now.
“What time is it, Seren?”
“I don’t know, but the sun is up. Today is the big celebration.”
“I know, Seren. Do you know what happens today?”
“We celebrate the harvest, and we throw a party for you and Wynn.”
“And we also generally rest, Seren. That means we get to sleep in.”
“I slept in... well, a little. Mother said I couldn’t wake you until the sun was all the way up, I waited a whole hour.”
Grayden grinned, “Well, for that incredible feat of patience, I suppose I should thank you.”
Seren nodded, her blond curls bouncing around her small face, “You’re welcome.”
“Know what else happens on Harvest Festival?”
“No.”
“Big brothers are allowed to tickle their annoying little sisters who wake them up early.”
“No...” Seren hesitated.
Grayden grinned and formed his hands into claws, growling. Seren shrieked and threw the covers over his head, diving towards the edge of the bed. Grayden caught her leg and started tickling the bottom of her foot. Seren squirmed and giggled, kicking at him with her free foot, shrieking and laughing.
The door to Grayden’s bedroom swung open and Grayden looked up at the cheerful face of his mother. He let go of Seren who half clambered, half fell out of the bed. Their mother put her hands on her hips.
“Grayden was demonstrating one of the Festival traditions, I see.”
“Mother! You mean it’s true?” Seren said, eyes wide.
“I’m afraid so... but only once during the day,” she winked at her son and Grayden grinned. “Come on, Seren, I need your help stirring the biscuit batter, and Grayden needs to get up and get dressed for his big day.”
Seren stood up and bounced out of the room. Dara smiled after the little girl and then met her son’s gaze. Grayden saw all her emotions jumbled together in her forest green eyes. They mirrored his own emotions: pride, fear, joy, sorrow, happiness, and a little bit of wistfulness.
“Your father’s out milking the cow. He thought you should get to sleep in this day, but he said there was a pile of wood that needs chopping after you have breakfast.”
“Yes, Mother.”
******
The first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, illuminating the thin layer of frost that covered the ground. Each blade of grass glistened in the nacreous light of dawn. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the warmth of its rays gradually melted the frost into crystal beads of water.
The village was draped in garlands of late-summer flowers. Unlit lanterns lined the walkways of the town. Multi-colored ribbons fluttered from various doorways and were wrapped around fence posts, swaying gently in the morning breeze. The town was a veritable wash of color and cheer.
“Grayden! Wake up! Wake up! Today is Harvest Festival.”
Grayden groaned and threw an arm above his head, squeezing his eyes shut and pulling his blanket over his face. He did not know what time it was, but he was certain it was earlier than he wanted it to be. A small, but powerful force landed on his stomach.
“Oof,” he grunted.
The covers were pulled back and he squinted blearily into a pair of bright green eyes. He sighed, he would never get back to sleep now.
“What time is it, Seren?”
“I don’t know, but the sun is up. Today is the big celebration.”
“I know, Seren. Do you know what happens today?”
“We celebrate the harvest, and we throw a party for you and Wynn.”
“And we also generally rest, Seren. That means we get to sleep in.”
“I slept in... well, a little. Mother said I couldn’t wake you until the sun was all the way up, I waited a whole hour.”
Grayden grinned, “Well, for that incredible feat of patience, I suppose I should thank you.”
Seren nodded, her blond curls bouncing around her small face, “You’re welcome.”
“Know what else happens on Harvest Festival?”
“No.”
“Big brothers are allowed to tickle their annoying little sisters who wake them up early.”
“No...” Seren hesitated.
Grayden grinned and formed his hands into claws, growling. Seren shrieked and threw the covers over his head, diving towards the edge of the bed. Grayden caught her leg and started tickling the bottom of her foot. Seren squirmed and giggled, kicking at him with her free foot, shrieking and laughing.
The door to Grayden’s bedroom swung open and Grayden looked up at the cheerful face of his mother. He let go of Seren who half clambered, half fell out of the bed. Their mother put her hands on her hips.
“Grayden was demonstrating one of the Festival traditions, I see.”
“Mother! You mean it’s true?” Seren said, eyes wide.
“I’m afraid so... but only once during the day,” she winked at her son and Grayden grinned. “Come on, Seren, I need your help stirring the biscuit batter, and Grayden needs to get up and get dressed for his big day.”
Seren stood up and bounced out of the room. Dara smiled after the little girl and then met her son’s gaze. Grayden saw all her emotions jumbled together in her forest green eyes. They mirrored his own emotions: pride, fear, joy, sorrow, happiness, and a little bit of wistfulness.
“Your father’s out milking the cow. He thought you should get to sleep in this day, but he said there was a pile of wood that needs chopping after you have breakfast.”
“Yes, Mother.”
October 18, 2010
Book Give-Away
I have 3 copies of Dawn of the Dragon's Eye, in hardcover, to give away!
Contest Deadline: November 17th, 2010
How to enter for your chance to win one of these (3) free copies:
Either:
1) Post about my books on your facebook or your blog
or
2) Get 5 people to "like" my author fanpage
Then: come over to my fan page and leave me a comment with (a) information on your post (and the link to your blog if you posted there) or (b) the names of the people who you invited to "like" my fanpage.
The winners of the contest will be decided by a random drawing of all the names entered.
Contest Deadline: November 17th, 2010
How to enter for your chance to win one of these (3) free copies:
Either:
1) Post about my books on your facebook or your blog
or
2) Get 5 people to "like" my author fanpage
Then: come over to my fan page and leave me a comment with (a) information on your post (and the link to your blog if you posted there) or (b) the names of the people who you invited to "like" my fanpage.
The winners of the contest will be decided by a random drawing of all the names entered.
March 04, 2010
Fan Page
Hello friends and fans,
Sorry I have been absent from this blog for so long. I am finally back. Today's post won't be long, I just wanted to draw your attention to a few things (anyone who actually peruses this blog anymore).
First: I have created a facebook fan-page for my writing. I update it every couple of days or at least once a week. If you'd like to swing by, you can click on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Raleigh-NC/Jenelle-Leanne-Schmidt/282216172260?ref=nf
Second: I entered my first book, The Dragon's Eye, into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and made it past the first round of cuts! I am super psyched. You can read about the contest here: http://www.amazon.com/b?node=332264011
Third: I created a place where you can read a preview of my book and leave feedback here: https://www.createspace.com/pub/community/give.review.do?id=1066414&rewrite=true
Thanks for swinging by. I will be updating much more frequently now.
Sorry I have been absent from this blog for so long. I am finally back. Today's post won't be long, I just wanted to draw your attention to a few things (anyone who actually peruses this blog anymore).
First: I have created a facebook fan-page for my writing. I update it every couple of days or at least once a week. If you'd like to swing by, you can click on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Raleigh-NC/Jenelle-Leanne-Schmidt/282216172260?ref=nf
Second: I entered my first book, The Dragon's Eye, into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and made it past the first round of cuts! I am super psyched. You can read about the contest here: http://www.amazon.com/b?node=332264011
Third: I created a place where you can read a preview of my book and leave feedback here: https://www.createspace.com/pub/community/give.review.do?id=1066414&rewrite=true
Thanks for swinging by. I will be updating much more frequently now.
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