elyndafae
Tales of Nantrelor
Stories of a Little Kingdom
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Foreword
At one time there were many little kingdoms, scattered here and there about the world. Some of them rather modest, unassuming little places, rather whimsical in their ways, some of them taking themselves far more seriously, with grand ambitions. But now history has swept most of them away, and their pride is forgotten.
But the little kingdom of Nantrelor endured.
Of the origins of Nantrelor and its early history little is known to the outside world. Indeed, their own historians record what might seem mere folklore and legend. For example, they tell us that the first king of that land, a noble yet impoverished knight, by the name of Sir Brian Pengareth, received his crown from the Queen of Fae, as a reward for his virtuous deeds. Not to mention slaying a dragon or two.
The Pengareth dynasty still rule in Nantrelor, and although these days they too might smile at such quaint tales, there are many, even among the gravest scholars in the kingdom, who will assure you that it is all quite true. Your present chronicler, for reasons of her own, reserves her own opinion on the matter.
This is Nantrelor, or a part of it. That is enough to show you the sort of place we are dealing with. Here you can see what in ancient times was called the Valley of the Moon, where stands the little town of Trelorne, overlooked by the proud white towers of the castle which shares its name. The scene hasn't changed very much for hundreds of years.
Yes, they are lagging somewhat behind the times in there. As the tale that follows begins the Victorian age (as we now call it) has been going on for some time in the outside world. Many are the wonders of science that are every day being brought to light for the world to marvel at, and many the ingenious new inventions that will, it is hoped, benefit mankind. The world is changing fast, and society with it, but upon Nantrelor, so far, none of this has had very much impact.
It is said that Nantrelor once lay within the girdle of the Faerie realms. You may believe or disbelieve that, as you will. But, if you should ever visit the little kingdom, and wander amongst it’s green hills and its forests, you might feel a certain something in the air, or in the earth beneath your feet. And if you stop a while and listen to the whisper of the breeze in the tree tops, or to the music of the waterfalls, you might feel that the old magic is still very much alive there.
Such then is Nantrelor: a happy land, for the most part. But as our tale begins the church flag is at half mast over Trelorne. it is a kingdom in mourning for the death her king...
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Queen Lucy - Chapter One
To tell the whole story of Nantrelor would take several volumes, for it is a history that reaches back into the mists of legend. Perhaps we shall learn something of that history as we go along. But, for now, we are to relate the story of Queen Lucy.
It is not for nothing that the country folks still refer to the eastern wilds of the kingdom as the 'Enchanted Forest'. The old magic, so they say, is still very much alive there. And here and there may be found many curious relics of past ages...
Nobody is quite sure who built this place, or when, or for what purpose. Locals believe it to be the haunt of kindly spirits from another age, remembering perhaps that happy Arcadia where the mothers and fathers of mankind once danced and played in the innocence of their childhood. Not a place to be disturbed with noise, but rather a place for tranquillity and quiet meditation.
At least, that is the case most of the time…
“Wunderbar!”
"Most extraordinary!"
May we introduce Doctor Hans Vanderling, late of the University of Simstadt, philosopher and historian. Elderly, bespectacled, rather dapperly dressed: he appears to be just what he is, a kindly, mild mannered old scholar. But he is a little bit more than that, as we shall presently learn. For now, we shall say he is an inquirer into mysteries. Both ancient and modern.
And if things were were not extraordinary enough…
“Still in one piece Doc? I told you I could work these things, didn’t I. And now I’ve saved you a long, bumpy journey by coach. Believe me, those mountain roads are no joke! Don’t I always take care of you?”
“I never doubted you Anthea. And I assure you there was no need for you to give me such a push, it quite set me off balance. And I was quite ready to step through of my own volition”.
“Sorry Doc, I just thought you needed a little encouragement. And I promise you I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t absolutely sure it was safe. Yeah, I used to get around using these things all the time, but there ain’t so many of them left now”.
“This place is quite fascinating, I wish I had time to examine it more closely. I hadn’t expected to find a Greco-Roman influence here. Some kind of shine or sanctuary, I would say. And this, the god Apollo I would guess, patron of the arts. A later addition, I would think”.
“I s’pose. It doesn’t look much like him though”.
“Indeed? I suppose you are now going to tell me he’s yet another of your old acquaintances”.
“Hardly that Doc! Sure, I did run into him one time, but I didn’t stick around long enough to get acquainted. Let me tell you, Doc, you don’t want to get on the bad side of those old Olympians, they’re a touchy lot. No sense of humour, any of them!”
“Meaning he didn’t appreciate any of your little pranks. Any more than did the Emperor Charlemagne, or Ivan the Terrible, or was it Vlad the Impaler? Really I lose track of your many misadventures Anthea.
“But now I really must sit down for a bit. My old legs feel a little wobbly after that journey, brief though it was.
“And whilst we’re on the subject, Anthea, I want you to be on your best behaviour whilst we are here. None of your usual antics now. You know I don’t like to nag you my dear, but we are here upon serious business, and not a mid-summer fairy frolic. We must proceed cautiously and not call undue attention to ourselves. Do you understand?”
“Well, okay Doc. But this looks like being a dull kind of adventure from where I’m sitting. I mean what are we supposed to do here anyway? The place seems like Snoresville, so far as I can tell. I doubt if anything exiting has happened around here since the time of the old Witch Queen. This place wants waking up”.
“We are here, first and foremost, to keep a promise Anthea, remember that. And as for waking things up, well you ought to have learned by now that there are some things that are best left undisturbed. And some other things will only wake up when they are good and ready”.
“Come along now Anthea, the afternoon is wearing and there is much for us to do. And do not look some gloomy, liebling, I daresay things may liven up soon enough, and you will find plenty of interesting things the occupy you.
“As for me, I shall first need to go shopping. There are some items I need to acquire. Travelling light may suit a fairy, Anthea, but a gentleman does not go adventuring without so much as a toothbrush or a clean shirt collar.
A short walk later...
“Brelor Castle at last! Beautiful, is it not? Alas that I come at such a sad time. Oh, my dear friend Robert, would that you were here to greet me!”
“I loved him too, Doc. And I’m not kidding around this time, I truly have met a few kings in my time, and a few queens too, and he wasn’t just one of the best, he was truly the best”.
“And in that castle dwells one who will miss him more than we Anthea. For no child should lose both mother and father at so tender age, be she princess or no. And she must now bear a heavy burden upon small shoulders. Whatever else may betide, she will want our help. We can do no less for our dear departed friend”.
“And now, Anthea, I must employ your singular talents. Go now, fly to that castle and 'case the joint', as you would say. But on no account let yourself be seen, not even by the queen. Not yet. We must proceed cautiously. And first we must learn the lie of the land, so to speak”
“You mean you want me to spy on them?”.
“You may call it reconnaissance, if you prefer. You must, of course, use a measure of discretion, and you must certainly respect peoples’ privacy. Just listen and observe. Learn what persons attend upon the young queen, their characters, and how they are disposed towards her. Most particularly I wish to know whether she has any unsuspected enemies there. I shall expect a full report when I come. Now off you go, and be good”.
“I go, I go, see how I go. Swifter than arrow from the Tartar’s bow. Wee!”
At this point the reader may not be too surprised to learn that a certain Robin Goodfellow, sometimes called Puck, is also one of Anthea’s old ‘acquaintances’. They have much in common.
And so it begins.
“Be good” the Doctor says. Well, when Anthea is good, she is very good. And when she is bad – watch out! Things may soon liven up rather a lot in Nantrelor. Especially if Anthea has anything to do with it.
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Queen Lucy - Chapter Two
Brelor castle has come on a bit since it was nothing but crude wooden stockade, built upon the remains of an ancient hill fort. Brelor means 'moon hill' in the ancient tongue. Many kings and queens of the Pengareth line have ruled Nantrelor from here, for the most part wisely and justly. But few were more beloved than the late King Robert, second of that name, taken from his people too soon, in the full bloom of manhood, leaving but one child, a daughter, aged nine years old.
The king is dead, long live the Queen! Long live Queen Lucy!
What more pleasant way to start the day than an hour or two fishing, especially on a crisp clear summers morning, and more especially if you have a well stocked moat ready to hand.
This is Viscountess Zenobia Trewarne, ward to the late king Robert and cousin to the Queen. She came home from school in England to attend the king’s funeral and stayed on as Lady in Waiting.
Alas, the morning’s tranquillity cannot last long, for that is that is Jenny, Her Majesty’s chamber maid, on her way with a message. She spends much of her time doing that lately, the castle being rather understaffed at present and Zenobia spends much of her time receiving such messages. She had hoped, at such an early hour, for some respite, but alas, it was not to be.
“Beg’ your pardon Lady Zenobia. Her Highness’ compliments, an’ she wants the two of you for breakfast”.
“I always suspected it, Jenny. But she can jolly well have cornflakes like the rest of us and lump it!”
“Ha ha, oh m’lady you’re a caution! But you know what I means, she wants you both to join her for breakfast. And dressed, so she says, though I can’t imagine as you’d turn up naked”.
“Ah, well you know these aristocratic types Jenny: breakfast, lunch, dinner, high-tea, or whatever – it’s not so much what’s on the menu, as what’s in the wardrobe. If they didn’t have the right outfit for the occasion they’d starve to death.
“And if i had to depend upon fish, so would I. It doesn’t look as if I’m going to catch anything bigger than this today in any case, Jenny. Will you wake Sleeping Beauty or shall I?”
“Well, I think I’ll leave that job to you M’lady, if you don’t mind. I know what that one is like if you wake her too early. Takes after her dad for temper, she does”.
“An’ if it’s fish you’re wanting M’lady, I’ll have Cook fry you up a nice fish supper this evening and have it brought out for you”.
“Oh, you’re an angel Jenny. And so is Cook. Give her I nice big sloppy kiss for me!”
“Ooh, I dunno as I should do that, M’lady. Most like she’d come after me with a rolling pin!”
Hold onto the thought, Zenobia: A nice fish supper, sitting around the camp fire, under a clear summer night’s sky, fretted with heavenly fire… always supposing Her Highness let’s us go on camping out like this”.
"Wakey wakey, sleepy head. It’s not your hansom prince, I’m afraid, you’ll have to hold on a few years for him. It’s only me, your favourite cousin, so you won’t have me tied in a sack and thrown into the moat now, will you my dearest heart?”.
“Well, I suppose not Nobby, I feel more like chucking myself in. Is it really time to get up already? Seems like I only just went to sleep…
“Oh Nobby! The sun’s barely up yet! What’s the idea waking me up at this ungodly hour? Is that the act of a best friend? Or of a favourite cousin? I ask you now, is it?”
“Sorry, sweet cuz, but needs must. I was hoping for a quiet morning too, but then came a harbinger of woe, in shape of Jenny bearing ill hap in her pocket and a shadow athwart the sun of our merry making. In brief, we’re to attend Aunt Beatrice for breakfast. Properly attired, I may add, hair brushed and orderly, and faces, hands and (most particularly) necks well scrubbed. It’s hard cheese, I know, but what can we do?”
“Oh well, the holiday’s over I suppose. Not that camping out in the castle grounds was much of holiday, but it was a pleasant change. And at least I could look at the mountains, even if I couldn’t go and explore them”.
“It’s not fair, Nobby! Not fair on you, I mean. Just because I have to be a prisoner here, there’s no reason why you should be. You could have gone back to school ages ago and had fun with all your chums”.
“And leave you all alone here with Aunt Beatrice? No, Lucy, I won’t do it! Oh, she’d love to pack me off back to school, wouldn’t she? Couldn’t wait to get rid of me, and inflict some frightful old witch of a governess on you. But she can’t force me, and she knows it.
“Besides, I think I’d had my fill of school: all that jolly hockey sticks stuff, and everybody competing to be the most popular girl; hero worshipping anybody who biffs in a last minute goal and saves the match for the ‘good old coll’. You can keep it! And, as for chums, well my very best chum is right here in front of me!”
“So, please don’t feel bad on my behalf, Lucy. I came home for Uncle Robert’s funeral, but I stayed on because you needed a friend with you – not a lot toadying courtiers, or some horrid old governess. And if Brelor Castle really were a prison, and you were in it, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right there beside you.
“We’d best get our skates on: the sooner we’re ‘suitably dressed’ the sooner we can get a suitable breakfast. Believe me Lucy, the food’s better here than back at school. Think: bacon and eggs, with toast or fried bread, a few mushrooms, maybe, delicately fried to a golden blush”.
“Hmm, I’d give the royal assent to all of that! Come, let us go robe ourselves sweet cuz, in customary suits of solemn black “.
“Oh Lucy! Have you been reading Hamlet again? You should try Treasure Island for a change. Bloodthirsty pirates are far more fun than mad Danish princes who go foraging around graveyards at night picking up skulls”.
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