Brankyledon

By Trafford Publishing

Brankyledon Kingdom is a land surrounded by lush, thick forests, giant mushrooms, hanging mosses, witches hair, and emerald-misted waterfalls. An array of inhabitants reside within this mystical, magical kingdom, such as faeries, elves, gumps, ogres, leprechauns, and of course, wizards and dragons.
This uniquely talented, first-time author has written this magically inspired book in such a way that it will captivate its readers; even the most skeptical of people will believe that anything can be a reality.
The action-packed battle between good and evil will surely keep your eyes riveted to the pages. In the beginning, the innocent characters gradually learn to become magic makers through the most difficult and terrifying missions without even realizing they are involvedthe battle between good and evil.
The ending has a rather surprising twist that you will never forget. The knights of Brankyledon Kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Dec 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466963863

Book preview

Brankyledon

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Joanne Mcintosh Aitken

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© Copyright 2012 Joanne McIntosh Aitken.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America.

isbn:

978-1-4669-6385-6 (sc)

isbn:

978-1-4669-6387-0 (hc)

isbn:

978-1-4669-6386-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012922967

Trafford rev. 11/04/2012

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F ar away, in a land called Brankyledon, a land surrounded by lush thick forests, giant mushrooms, hanging mosses, witch’s hair, and emerald-misted waterfalls, stands the very small village of Fatum. Fatum being an enchanted faerie-land. Here lives an array of all sorts of inhabitants. Among them are faeries of all types, elves, gumps, ogres, leprechauns, and of course wizards and dragons. For hundreds of years, Fatum has been a beautiful, peaceful, and very busy place. The only disruptions of peacefulness are usually brought on by the odd, bored faerie that gets a little mischievous at times. Just behind Fatum and towering high above it is the crest of a large craggy mountain, a mountain of everlasting beauty, with emerald-, jade-, and turquoise-hued lakes; moss-covered rocks; and fern-adorned waterfalls. In the early morning when the sun is rising, the golden sparkles of the lake’s and stream’s surfaces are comparable to fireflies flickering in the darkness of night. Wildflowers grow rampantly amid towering trees, and the wildlife there is plentiful and most certainly free to roam. On the top of the mountain crest is an enormous castle—the Castle Brankyledon. The castle built 910 years earlier is vast and holds many rooms and towers. The towers are called keeps and were built for guards to keep watch over the land that they could see from miles and miles around them.

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The castle didn’t need a moat as it was at the very top of the mountain. There is a small turquoise blue creek flowing down the mountain from the castle, which meanders through the land, twisting and turning through the forests of giant trees and out through the colorfully flowered meadows beyond. The owner of the castle is Rednaxela Shotnicam, a very old and wise wizard, and his daughter lives there with him. It’s so quiet most of the time because the castle only houses the two of them, three dogs, two cats, and a bird. The wizard’s daughter Argiana is the keeper of the animals. The largest is Sir Hobbs, a brindled, long-haired pooch with compassionate light brown eyes. The middle-sized dog is Maiden Tippy, a short-haired black-and-white cattle dog with sly, intelligent dark brown eyes; and the small one is Sir Ted, a long-haired white dog with powder blue eyes that hold star-shaped pupils. Argiana owns two cats as well. Taterana is a short-haired all-black cat with four white whiskers among the black on one side of her face, and she has hungry yellow eyes. Frostina has long black-and-white hair and large yellow eyes that sometimes look like she is trying but can’t quite focus on something she’s looking at. Argiana also has a bird. He is very old and wise. He has grey, white, and yellow feathers and a top knot on his head of long slender feathers, orange-colored cheeks, and shiny black eyes. His name is Gingeria.

These animals are Argiana’s very best friends and are the love of her life, next to her father, the memory of her mother, and the faerie land at the base of the mountain. The old wizard loves them all as well but doesn’t have a lot of quality time to spend with them as he is very busy most of the time. He is trying to stop something from happening that he knows is going to happen sometime in the near future. Something ugly, dark and sinister. Someone somewhere is planning an attack on the two largest trees in the kingdom, the Trees of Life for the whole community. The trees are the most beautiful and powerful-looking objects in the kingdom, growing up and beyond anything else. Their massive branches, thick gnarled bark, and twisted roots sound almost haunting when described, but they are things of absolute perfect beauty to be respected for what they are—the Trees of Life. These massive trees provide everyone with an abundance of essential items and goods for everyday living. The thick amber sap that pours from the bark provides a gum used for building. They mix it with wildflower oils and sugar leeched from the tiny corncobs the Fatumites grow in their wee gardens. The branches of the trees provide assorted building materials for the faeries that actually build their own homes. A lot of the lazier Fatumites just move into abandoned squirrel homes, or old bird nests are refurbished to fit their needs. A lot of them prefer the giant mushrooms for their abodes and settle into one of these, but they usually found them damp in the moist weather if not lined with dried leaves and mosses. Quite a few faeries would wait for another faerie to move out of their home before they move into the vacated premises because they are very lazy and unimaginative. The bark is used for building, but it is also useful for certain magical potions as well. Mixed with other natural ingredients, the faeries take the potions and do their good deeds for the kingdom and for the environment.

It was not all work for the Fatumites either. They love their time off for rest and relaxation. They play practical jokes on one another; have sing-alongs, fairs, and dances. Once a year they adorn the towering Trees of Life with flowers and witch’s hair for garlands. They drape it with woven grasses dyed in flower and berry juices. And only then, when everything on the trees looks perfect, they have their Trees of Life Festival. Busy bees make honey treats, and a few faeries travel afar to bring back ice chunks, which they chip off in small slivers pour the colored berry juices and maple syrup over the top of the ice chips or lace the tops with honey and serve them in bluebell flowers. There are assorted vegetables and fruits and all sorts of nuts collected from the forest. Colorfully painted rocks and mushrooms adorn the bottoms of the two trees. Once a year on this day they all exchange small tokens of appreciation and love for one another. And as a tribute to the Trees of Life, they leave under each tree a large rock brilliantly painted by all. There are 910 large rocks under the trees now, not taking up that much room either as the trees’ sizes make them look comparatively small. This year’s festival will make 911 rocks under the towering trees. There are also small vials of potions and nourishments for the trees and the soils that hold the trees’ twisted roots. When the rain and the morning dewdrops fall on the land, it washes some of the potions into the creek that runs through the rest of the forest to give the land any nutrients it might need. It is a very close-knit community, where everyone helps out and does their part in keeping the environment healthy, strong, lush, and safe.

Only one person is aware that there are a group of bullies making plans and preparing to attack the village of Fatum and the surrounding area of the Kingdom. No one knows about the dark and sinister beings that want to take their precious land and enslave the groups of magic makers. These nasty beings love power, riches, and land that is not theirs. They want it for themselves. These greedy ones live very far away in another part of the world. They don’t know anything about Brankyledon Kingdom and don’t understand the customs or ways of the inhabitants that reside there. They only understand greed and power. To overtake the whole world would be a very powerful thing. To use that power disrespectfully would be the wrong thing to do, and these beings are very disrespectful. The only person that knows about the evil beings and their plan to take over Brankyledon Kingdom is the wizard, Rednaxela.

One morning, a week before the festival, Argiana awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and beautiful sunshine pouring into her bedroom window. She then remembered the dream she had in the night. She dreamed of a plan to try and help her father finish what he was working on so he could help with and enjoy the festival preparations with everyone else. She bounced out of bed to greet the awakening animals that were draped all over her large bedroom. They stretched and groaned as Argiana slipped into the robe that had belonged to her mother. The robe was purple, with golden yellow moons and stars and was miles too big for her tiny young body. Argiana loved the robe because it had been her mother’s wizard robe. Her mother, Sillypha, had been as powerful and magical as her father was, but now her father’s powers were slowing down. He was not as quick as he used to be and was getting somewhat forgetful at times. Argiana had noticed these things more and more as each day passed and worried he’d lose his sorcery altogether someday. She cinched the sash on the robe snugly and pattered out of the bedroom, with all the animals following closely behind her. She went down the massive stone hallway to the staircase leading to the lower floor. She raced down the stairs carefully so as not to trip on the large robe she wore and opened the very large wooden door. Its hinges squeaked, groaned, then screeched while she let the animals out and the sunshine in. Stepping out into the soft, warm earth and feeling the golden sun surround her, she thought it’s a perfect day to play by the creek, then go down to Fatum to visit everyone and help out with the festival chores. She decided then that it was out of the question, as her mission for today was to help her father. She ran back inside, up the stairs, and into his laboratory. She looked around and found he was at his desk. He was studying a recipe. His long white curls hung from his head, and in the candlelight, his cheeks looked rosy as apples. His long white beard flowed down the front of his sorcerer’s robe and partially rested on the desk.

Good morning, Father, she said as she went and kissed him on the forehead. Right away, he enfolded her with his big arms and hugged her close. There came the morning tickle. She giggled and laughed, and her father laughed with her. All of the animals nuzzled him and raced about his chair in a playful way. Gingeria, who usually stayed close to the wizard, squawked to Argiana, and she went over to scratch his head. The cats were sprawled lazily across the mantle of the huge stone fireplace, tails draped downward as they half slept and half watched the amusing scene before them. Sir Hobbs trundled over to sniff Gingeria, and the bird tried to peck at his nose. Her father asked what her plans were after she finished her chores. Argiana looked into his cobalt blue eyes, and he smiled broadly, making his eyes crinkle at the corners.

You look so serious today, he said. What could make a young girl be so serious on this beautiful morning?

Father, said Argiana as she rose from his knee and stood before him, I want to help you finish your work so you can attend the preparations for the festival and have some relaxing fun.

Ohhh, Argiana, you’re so thoughtful. But I can take no time off, as this project is very important to everyone. I’m sorry. Now you go tend to your chores. Then I’ll let you help a bit.

Argiana, eyes sparkling, ran down the hall to the great stone staircase and raced to the bottom of the stairs as fast as she could. First, she went into the kitchen and pantry area and fed all of the animals and cleaned their bowls afterward. She then got the straw broom out of the closet and swept the floor. She pulled a large roast of beast out of the cold cellar, put it in a pan, seasoned it, and put it on the iron grate in the unlit fireplace. She then picked out vegetables and gently placed them in a cook pot partially filled with water. This excited the animals as they knew they would get some pieces of the roasted beast to eat. The dogs paced behind her as she made the beds and put the floor mats outside to sweep the loose dirt off of them. Argiana was sweeping them off when she heard a noise like the crackling of a small branch. She stopped moving and stayed real still, listening. It was like the noise of someone trying not to make a noise. Then there was a movement again over the trees by the castle wall. She propped the broom against a wash bucket and slowly tiptoed over to the spot where the noise seemed to come from and peeked into the branches of the trees. She saw a bright sparkle in one of the many bushes and peeked inside of the willowy formation. Suddenly, a voice said, Boo!

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It made Argiana jump back, and giggling, she said, Pix, what are you doing in there? Pix was lazing on a branch, his colorful clothing sparkling from his nightly duties of spreading faerie dust in the forest to keep the wildlife safe. He was chewing hungrily on a walnut he had found in the forest.

I have come to travel down the mountain with you. You are coming down for the preparations, are you not? Pix asked. Then he smacked his lips as he chewed the nutty meat of the walnut.

I’m sorry, Pix, but I have to help Father for a while first, and then maybe he will be able to come too. Pix leaned forward, poking his face out of the bushes, and asked if he could help the old wizard too so they could all go down the mountain together. Pix didn’t wait for an answer but instead jumped over onto Argiana’s shoulder for a ride into the castle. Argiana looked at the tiny faerie and brushed some of the faerie dust off of Pix and entered the castle, dogs sauntering close behind them. Together, they all raced up the huge stone staircase, which had a few rays of golden sunshine splashing across them, from the open doorway.

At the top of the stairs, Pix started making funny faces at the dogs, and Argiana laughed heartily. Upon entering the lab, they could hear Rednaxela muttering to himself as he often did. Argiana had asked him once why he talked to himself while working in the lab, and he explained that he could remember the ingredients he used a lot better, as his age was getting the better of him and often he could not remember certain things. Argiana got disappointed by the fact that there was not a lot for her to do to help her dad as she didn’t really know a lot about magic making now. But one day, she vowed to be as good at it as her parents. After a half hour of doing not much of anything, except watching her father, they left the room and went outside in the sunshine. Once outside, they walked over to the stream that flowed down the mountain. Here they sat, Argiana on her favorite large rock, dangling her feet in the flowing blue water, and Pix on her shoulder, while the dogs looked on, anticipating Argiana to throw a stick into the water for them to fetch. But Argiana was very deep in thought about the problem her father was trying to solve. Her eyebrows were furrowed in a troublesome manner.

Pix felt in no mood to brood. He got bored very easily and started playing with Argiana’s hair. She had golden hair, the color of the sun, short and loosely curled with a long thin braid that draped down her right shoulder. Pix was pulling on the braid. This began to frustrate Argiana, so she gently plucked Pix from her shoulder and placed him on Sir Hobbs’s head, as he would welcome the thought of the little guy playing with his hair. Just then, her father came outside and said, I have got to go find some sprigs of lily pad. It’s very essential to what I’m doing. I will have to talk to the Frog Queen Faerie first. She will know where the most potent sprigs are for my potion. Do you want to come with me?

Argiana, with a pouty face, said, No, the Frog Queen will probably want me to listen to her bad jokes and boring, so-called funny stories.

Her father looked sad that she was feeling down about the way the day was going, but he had a job to do, and he had to finish it today. Okay then, I will be back around supper if all goes well. You can start a fire to cook the roast in a couple of hours from now.

Argiana knew he wouldn’t be all day as the Frog Queen would have the ingredients he needed and they would be the most potent in the land. Frogs are the healing lords of the earth. their herbs, flowers, and water plants are the healthiest in the kingdom and probably in the world. Plus she was feeling a little mischievous. While her father was gone from the castle, she could look at his big very old book of potions and remedies for magic. She knew her father needed a dragon, most of all, to help fight intruders that may try to take over Fatum. She rose from her favorite sitting rock and said to the group, Let’s go. The dogs following and Pix grabbing a tighter hold on Sir Hobbs’s fur for the bumpy ride indoors, they ran into the castle. Up the staircase, they ran, squealing excitement and peals of laughter at the prospect of finding a magic spell that would help Father.

The book was open on the large very old wooden desk. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm for the knowledge this book held. After a few minutes of reading what she thought was gibberish, Argiana said, I can’t understand a lot of this.

Pix looked and said, I think you need a magic wand to use a lot of the magic in this book.

Argiana replied, I have one! Pix looked at her, horrified at the thought of using a wand without the lessons that went with it.

Pix said, You can’t use your mother’s wand as it’s very powerful. You have to know how to use it, or you can conjure up nothing but trouble for yourself. Pix’s sly, but sullen look almost made Argiana laugh. She smiled and held the laugh back, and Pix began to pout about it as he was rather serious about the use of the wand. Her mother was the best sorcerer in the land, next to her father. Her father never used wands though as he was more interested in the scientific part of magic. Her mother’s wand could do what her father’s potions could, but quicker; and sometimes, her wand was more powerful, but it could not be used for as many spells like her father’s potions. Argiana went to the large storage closet in the lab and started digging for the wand’s presentation case. She had seen it years ago when her mother had gone to heaven while Argiana was just a baby. It was in a cherry wood case with gold hinges, hasp and decorated with gold leaves.

Pix and the dogs and cats watched Argiana intently, hoping she was not serious about using the wand. She took the boxes and bags out of the closet methodically until she came upon the cherry wood case. Her father had buried it under all of the other contents of the closet to assure no one would find it. But she did find it after all. She was supposed to go through three years of starting lessons from her father before she could even touch the wand, and here, she stood in the lab, looking down at the case in her hands. All eyes in the room were on her, curiously waiting for her to open the case. At the same time, they were horrified at the thought of what could happen if she did use the wand. The gold lock was closed over the hasp. Somewhat disappointed, but actually knowing it would be locked, she started looking around for a key. She searched her father’s desk drawers and under the cushions adorning the large stuffy chairs surrounding the desk.

Taterana and Frostina looked on as if bored with the whole mess, and Taterana got up from her semi sleep and stretched her body along the mantle of the fireplace, front legs out in front of her and her butt pointed to the sky. As she did this, Frostina reached out to start a row with Taterana to cut the boredom she felt. Taterana, in retaliation, jumped toward Frostina, swatting at her as Frostina jumped up from her lazing position, and knocked the large brightly colored urn off of the mantle top. All the animals looked on with curiosity as to whether the urn would break or not and anticipated the crash. The tumbling metal urn clanged loudly when it hit the floor. The ringing of the metal sounded for a few seconds, but there was also a noise of something else scraping the inside of the urn, rolling along the inside of it. Argiana went to pick up the cumbersome urn but tipped it upside down first to see its contents. Pix and the crew were eagerly looking on with curiosity. Something rolled onto the floor in front of them. All eyes were riveted on the floor. Surprise spread across their faces;