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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781491780206 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 06/25/2016 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 189 KB |
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years |
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The Prince, the Plague, and the Perfidy
By Andrew Hannon
iUniverse
Copyright © 2015 J. Andrew HannonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-8018-3
CHAPTER 1
The Sons Of King Frank
"You are the true king!"
Percival sat up with a start with sweat beading his forehead. An eerie dream of a dulcet whisper that resonated through a heavy mist disturbed his sleep several nights in a row. The night vision had returned. Over and over the voice called out of the haze, "You are the true king! You are the true king!" The cloud dissipated, and a beautiful woman incarnated before him, but her face contorted in pain as a torrid flame consumed her, and a maleficent laugh cackled in the darkness. After battling insomnia deep into the night for fear of the dream, he finally dozed off..
Percival planned to gather with his brothers in the royal garden to discuss their father's declining health, but exhaustion from the dream prevented his waking early. Entering the bailey late in the morning, the prince, pale from the nightmare, greeted his brothers.
"Prince Ferris, Prince Sardis, and Prince Caedmon!" said Percival. "I am sorry I was delayed. What do you think of our father?" Percival's ashen countenance failed to arrest his brothers' attention.
"Since our mother has died," said Ferris, stroking his raven Dali moustache and annoyed at his brother's late arrival, "Father delegates his authority and responsibility for ruling to us. It is such a bore."
"Yes," said a stout, full bearded, orange haired Sardis, "he has retired from all his duties of nobility and remains here in this castle."
"How long ago did Mother die?" asked Percival. "I have lost count of the years."
"Queen Anne died a full ten years ago," replied a clean shaven Caedmon as he raked his fingers through his curly, shoulder length, blonde locks. "Since that time, King Frank has had no desire to rule."
"Why do you not call them Mother and Father? We may be the royal family of Turin, but we should refer to them with personal titles of endearment," said Percival.
"All he cares for is the peace of this countryside," said Sardis. "He is becoming a weakling."
"He cares for us," said Percival, "and I am concerned about him."
"He has become disgusting in his appearance," said Ferris.
"I think the king looks as if he could fall dead any moment," said Caedmon. "I have never seen him in such a state. This dotard has probably been infected by the plague."
"The pestilence has ravaged Turin for weeks. It brings only misery and desolation to those around," said Percival. "Father nears his seventies, but with his frail appearance, he appears much older and sicklier than ever before. Caedmon is right. He may have the plague."
"I do not believe that the plague has reached us," said Sardis.
"I know not what I would do if the plague struck here," said Ferris, who was starting to show signs of irritability which come from inconvenience more than worry. "I cannot bear to suffer from the same affliction as the peasantry."
Percival responded, "We are no different from anyone else in the land. The plague will eventually strike each of us."
"What do you mean different?" said Caedmon. "How can you compare us to the commoner?"
"It is the plague," said Percival, "and it strikes where it wills. It has already reached the harbors and the coastlands, and when I visit the hamlet, I see signs of it."
"I certainly hope not, but our father is even now too feeble to leave his chamber." said Ferris. "He could be dead soon, and we might be next."
"I will not fall to this pestilence!" said Sardis. "I will do whatever it takes to defeat this plague. My sword and right arm swear by it. Any enemy that tries to storm these gates will have to answer to Sardis the Strong."
"I am afraid your strength is neither enough to help our father nor rid Turin of the plague," said Percival.
Startled by the sudden appearance of a diminutive creature, Percival cried, "Who are you?"
A dwarf with a long, bushy beard slipped into the garden and stood before them. Dressed in a scarlet tunic with brown leggings, he wore a wide-brimmed, pointed hat. A ring of keys and a sheathed dagger dangled from a belt that buckled around his girth.
"How has a dwarf come into our midst?" asked Sardis.
"It is a beggar come to call on the sons of King Frank," said Ferris.
"I am not a beggar," said the dwarf, "and no walls can keep me from delivering tidings of your worst fears. Your father has the plague. Not only your father, but you and the entire village will fall prey to this pestilence unless you heed my warning. Far away in an enchanted land is a great house, and within that house is a garden that bears the only thing that can bring healing — a magical fruit."
"An enchanted land?" said Sardis.
"A magical fruit?" said Caedmon.
"Healing?" said Percival.
"Where is this place and how far?" asked Ferris.
"Start towards the east and from there, your own fortunes will have to guide you," said the dwarf.
"You appear as if by magic, and you give us riddles," said Ferris. "Speak to us plainly, or we will have you arrested and thrown into the dungeon."
Ferris gained no answer as the dwarf backed into some shrubbery and vanished through the castle's stone crosswall like an apparition passing through a partition, leaving them to wonder about the reality of the visitor, the tale, and the place.
Caught off guard by the disappearance of the unexpected visitor, the brothers were mute until Percival broke the silence.
"Is this possible?" the youngest said. "Is there a fruit that could save Father?"
"I have heard of such a place!" said Caedmon.
"If there is a fruit that can bring healing," said Sardis, "I shall bring it to the king. I will brave any danger to prove how mighty this prince of Turin is," and he pulled his sword. "Tell me what you know of this land."
"Yes," said Ferris as he smiled leeringly. "This fruit could help. Caedmon, you must tell us, but wait until the evening meal. Right now we have our duties to attend to. I will see you tonight." All the brothers agreed and parted.
Dusk settled over the land, and the brothers gathered in the great banqueting room at a long oak table as Caedmon related all the legends concerning mystical lands beyond the borders of Turin. He captured their imagination with tales of foreign wars, horrible monsters, beautiful damsels, and treasures of great wealth. The prince told of ancient battles between fairy creatures in the north and dark-skinned warriors in the south. He whispered how some fairies were witches that could transform men into werewolves. Caedmon said, "Many fairies are maidens of rare and incomparable beauty, and they control mystical artifacts possessed of great power."
The three princes listened intently as they dined on roasted venison, boiled potatoes, and sweet pastries. They washed their food down with draughts of sweet wine. Intermittently, they talked, laughed, and marveled about the mystical land, the healing fruit, and the possibility of new adventures.
"If you ever come across a fairy," said Caedmon, "do not trust them. They are clever and conniving."
"Do you believe this dwarf that we have seen is of fairy blood?" asked Percival.
"His stature tells me it is true," said Sardis, "but he is a weakling, and my might can overcome him."
"If this is what a fairy looks like," added Ferris, "I can see why treachery lurks among them. They are not fair to look upon, but they call themselves fair-ies." The prince smirked.
"Surely they guard this magical fruit," said Sardis.
"We will need to move stealthily towards this strange land," Caedmon added, "and use our shrewdness if we are to recover this fruit. Supposedly, fairies come to you at night in visions." Percival thought on last night's dream.
With the last embers glowing in the darkness of the hearth and grotesque shadows draping the great hall of the castle, the brothers prepared to retire to their chambers for the evening. The legs of their chairs scraped the stone floor as they scooted from the table then stretched and yawned.
"I should go to Father," Ferris said, "and tell him of our need to pursue this quest."
All the brothers agreed and retired to their own chambers except for Ferris. He ascended the winding staircase wondering how his father would respond to the thought of this adventure. Opposite the top of the stairs were two elegantly crafted doors, slightly breached.
Peeking into the slit of the doors, Ferris quietly pushed his way into the king's chamber. The odor of decay struck his nostrils, and he knew the old man was lying on his deathbed. Awake, the king stared glassy-eyed at the ceiling while attended by his nurse. His breathing rattled. The son softly walked to the side of the bed and touched his father's arm. Ferris noticed the distant look, the heat of fever, and the putrid smell of medicines and decay. Swooning, he fought to regain his composure as he grew faint. He held his breath, reached back down to straighten the bed covers, and recovered enough to ask his father about the quest.
"I will ask him if I alone can pursue this fruit," thought Ferris. "If I go and bring back this magical fruit, my father will surely make me sole heir of the kingdom." He wondered what it would be like to rule without the influence of his brothers. "I can rid myself of their presence forever since they do nothing but annoy me."
Smiling, Ferris whispered in his father's ear.
"There is a strange fruit that has healing powers. It is far away, but I can bring it to you, and you can become well again."
King Frank's eyes broke from his distant stare as he realized that his son spoke to him. Turning his head to the eldest prince, he rasped, "Why do you insist on my becoming well? When I am gone, you and your brothers will rule this kingdom together. Would you not soon be rid of an old man like me?"
But Ferris persisted and urged the king to allow him to go.
"I am too weak to deny this entreaty," said the old man. "Go, and may the Great King be with you."
Quickly, Ferris requested supplies and a fresh horse for his trip. "Not only will I bring the fruit back, but I will be crowned as king," said Ferris. "If I leave tonight, my brothers will not discover it until morning, and I will be a full day's ride ahead of them. With any luck, they will tarry searching for me allowing more time to outdistance them."
Mounting his horse, he thundered toward the east down the royal highway in search for clues regarding the whereabouts of this mystical kingdom. Ferris peered back at his father's castle as night's darkness draped it in shadowed robes, but fancy banquets, royal tournaments, and a life of leisure usurped his thoughts. He returned his sights to the road, and the forlorn turrets faded from his memory.
The night was black, and the road was difficult to see until the moon rose. Ferris journeyed for more than an hour when a wagon, blocking the middle of the highway, forced Ferris to pull his reins up sharp. He barely missed the cart. His horse wrenched on its back legs, and the prince almost toppled over. Angered by a near collision and the delay, Ferris dismounted to maneuver the barricade off the road. Suddenly, he noticed a strange little man on the other side. He resembled the creature that appeared in the garden earlier that day, only this time, he was hideously grotesque. The reflection of the moon's light illumined his face magnifying a hairy wart on his upper right cheek. His hair and long beard were twisted, dirty, and unkempt while his hands were black with grime, and a long jagged scar stretched across his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, and across the left check. The same wide brimmed, pointed hat rested on his head, but old buckskin replaced his cloak and pants. Hanging from a belt round his waist dangled the same ring of keys and sheathed dagger.
"What is the meaning of this!" shouted the prince.
CHAPTER 2What Happened To Ferris
"You ugly toad! What are you doing!" cried Ferris, but the dwarf continued to tinker with his cart acting deaf. Aggravated, Ferris addressed the dwarf again in a harsher tone. The creature gazed at the prince with a peculiar grin.
"I'm so glad you've come this way," said the dwarf. "I do hope you'll set yourself over here and help me. I'm in a bit of a bind."
"What?" the prince said. He glared as if the little creature ought to know better than to ask such a thing.
"Please — if you don't mind — do come over here and help me a bit with this wheel. It is quite heavy, and I could use your help you know," said the dwarf.
"It is apparent that your ignorance is as gross as your appearance," said Ferris with a smirk.
"No need to speak with a sharp tongue."
"A sharp tongue, little imp?" said Ferris. "I will show you something that is sharper than my tongue!" He dismounted his stead, unsheathed his sword, and beat the creature with its hilt. "You shall learn respect soon enough!"
"Please, sir," said the dwarf as he crumbled to the ground after the first blow. "No insult was meant toward you."
"Insult me? Surely you have, and surely you do by uttering words from such a vile tongue," said Ferris.
"But please," said the dwarf, "I know what you seek."
Ferris lifted his sword for the third pommel, but then he smiled. "What do you mean, Little One?"
"I know you seek the fruit — the fruit that heals," said the dwarf. "I know you desire to take it to your father, that he might be made well, and you might be made king above your brothers."
"You are a wretched little fool!" Ferris raised his sword this time with the intent to strike with his blade. Then a curious expression shaped his beaded eyes and pointed lips.
"I will spare you this time, Creature," said Ferris, "but you must tell me the path to this enchanted fruit. I have not traveled much beyond my own kingdom and am unfamiliar with lands outside the realm of my own authority."
"Thank you, most wonderful Prince, for sparing my life," said the dwarf. "Of course I will tell you how to reach your destination."
"Speak on, Rodent, before I change my mind," said Ferris.
"You seek an enchanted land, one in which you can find a rare fruit that will bring healing to your father, the king."
"I recognize you," Ferris said. "You are the dwarf that appeared before me and my brothers this morning. Tell me what you know."
"Such a remedy is found in the gardens of a great castle beyond the Great Woods of the East," the dwarf continued. "Travel through that forest, and in the end, you will come to your destination. Yet beware, for surely all that you deem fair ..."
But before the dwarf finished his warning, the prince leapt upon his stead and galloped towards the east.
The prince journeyed through the night and into midmorning until he arrived at a juncture in the road that branched off in four different directions. "Curse that dwarf," thought Ferris. "He did not tell me of these roads. But wait, Ferris. Think. If I take the road to the north, no forest grows there for that is frozen waste. And to the south is the vast desert of our arch enemy, Morgrav. So there are only two more roads. This road on my left leads to those great mountains, so this path to the right must lead to the forest."
Ferris struck on until the sun descended into the western sky. The scenery changed, and oak trees and firs sprang up as if by magic. A small, rocky path eclipsed the road, and the country grew hillier and thicker with trees. At the top of a hill, a great forest spread before him like an endless lawn of emerald verdant. Infinite trails fingered into the wood. Looking back, the forest bushed thick behind him. "Surely I am at the doorstep of the Great Woods of the East," thought Ferris. "I shall be through it in a day or two, and the fruit will be mine."
Shadows crept into the wood without warning. Ferris wandered so deeply into the forest that the trees created a canopy over his head preventing any remaining daylight from creeping in. "I must find a place to camp for the night," thought the prince.
As darkness invaded the wood, Ferris's stallion stirred restlessly. "Easy," Ferris whispered in its ear.
Traveling deeper into the forest, Ferris sought to tie the reins of his horse to the branch of a tree and then began to gather twigs and branches so he could build a fire. Without warning, the horse snorted, reared on its hind legs breaking the limb that held its reins, and bolted away.
"Cursed animal!" shouted Ferris. Failing to take the saddlebags off his horse stranded him without provisions including an evening meal and kindling box.
Night surrounded Ferris like a cloak. Glancing around, he noticed the trees were now leafless and seemed to imprison the prince. The wood, once lush and vibrant, had altered into a dark, dead forest. The branches of the trees, naked of any foliage, swayed about in sudden gusts of wind and lunged out at Ferris to entangle him in their grasp. Intermittent gleams of light penetrated the wood as lightning lit the skies above. A storm approached. His imagination duped his mind as emptiness garbed itself with the image of ghouls and goblins. Sweat beaded his forehead, his heart pounded his chest, and his breathing increased with each phantom that sprang to life out of his imagination. "Steady," thought Ferris. "I must find that horse." But the specters gained voices. Strong gales shrieked through the woods calling the prince's name. With each haunting shrill, Ferris shuffled quicker through the wood. Fear gripped him, and he unsheathed his sword. A wolf bayed nearby. Swinging wildly, he cut helplessly against imaginary foes.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Prince, the Plague, and the Perfidy by Andrew Hannon. Copyright © 2015 J. Andrew Hannon. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
One The Sons Of King Frank, 1,Two What Happened To Ferris, 8,
Three How Sardis's Temper Got The Best Of Him, 13,
Four Sardis And The Ravine, 18,
Five The Commission, 22,
Six Caedmon And His Blunder, 31,
Seven Percival's Vow, 38,
Eight Across The Northern Waste, 44,
Nine The Secret Of The Keep, 50,
Ten The Breaking Of The Charm, 59,
Eleven How Ferris Was Changed, 67,
Twelve The Rescue Of Sardis, 74,
Thirteen Caedmon's Emancipation, 82,
Fourteen The Return To Turin, 90,
Fifteen Betrayal And Bewitchery, 98,
Sixteen Percival's Acquittal, 107,
Seventeen The Banishment Of The Three Sons, 114,