 
#  Tell Me A Story:  
Amazing Tales to Captivate Your Kids

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The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip

Published By Josh Kilen at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Josh Kilen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

# Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Preview The Tales of Big and Little – Doom of the Three Stones

Preview of Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

Preview of The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight

Introduction

Some Storytelling Advice

More Titles by Josh Kilen

#

# The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip

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## Chapter 1

The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and everything was right with the world. Annabeth strolled across the village square with a slight skip in her step, swinging a basket at her side. The smile on her face said that she loved her life and she was very content.

Her family was not the wealthiest in the village, in fact they didn't have much money at all. But they were well well respected and what they lacked in money they made up for in love.

Annabeth's mother sent her out for the weekly groceries. The day was beautiful and Annabeth was happy to help.

Annabeth lived in a small cottage at the edge of town. Her father made a living as a handyman, doing odd jobs around town. If anyone in the village needed something fixed, they went to her father. Unfortunately he was a little too good at his job, because when he fixed something it always stayed fixed.

Once someone came to him and told him that he would get more business if he just didn't do such a good job. But Annabeth's father would not compromise his values, "If I don't do my best," he would say, "then how can I look my daughter in the eye?"

He made enough to feed the family, but while they couldn't afford to go to the theaters or eat at the fancy restaurants, her family was happy to have each other. They made up plays and songs, acting them out by candle light after dinner. They played games and read the few books they were lucky enough to own. All in all, they were very happy.

Annabeth skipped up to the small, yellow front door of her cottage, "Mom I'm home," she sang as she opened the front door.

Her Mother looked up from the dishes she was washing, "Any trouble sweetie?"

Annabeth smiled, "Not a bit. Today was a beautiful day for a stroll. Where is father?"

Her mother sighed, "Out looking for new projects. God bless that man, he just works so hard."

A loud voice came from the door, "Did I hear someone talking about me?" Annabeth's father came in with a grin from ear to ear, "My two beautiful ladies. Look at you Annabeth, you're positively radiant."

Annabeth blushed and did a twirl for her father. He gave her a big hug and then went over to her mother for a big kiss. She giggled like a school girl as he tickled her a little bit. "Now you stop it," she said with a laugh,"Annabeth, help me with these dishes."

And that was Annabeth's life. Not very exciting but it was nice and usually very happy.

Later that day, just as Annabeth was finishing with her chores, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Mom, there's somebody at the door." Annabeth said.

"Well, go see who it is." Her mom shouted back.

Annabeth went to the door and looked out the peephole. She saw a smallish man standing there in fancy, regal clothes, looking rather impatient. Behind him was a large group of similarly dressed people. Annabeth backed up from the door and straightened out her handmade dress. When she thought she looked presentable enough, she opened the door.

The regal looking man smiled when he saw her, "Ah, yes, you must be Annabeth. Am I correct?"

"I am she. How may I be of service to you Sir?"

The regal man looked confused, "No, not at such. My name is Parcell, and I represent their Royal Majesties, the King and Queen. They wish to speak with you."

Annabeth was astonished, "Me? Why would they wish to speak with me? I am but one of your Majesties' humble subjects."

Parcell smiled, "Be that as it may, my masters have graced your home with their presence. Would you leave them standing out on the door like beggars?"

Annabeth noticed that in the large group behind Parcell stood two figures, taller and more beautiful than the rest.

Annabeth bowed, "Please forgive me your Highnesses, I had no idea you would be here. Our humble home is yours."

The Queen spoke with practiced grace and a honey tongue, "My dear child, of course you did not expect us. Please fetch your parents, we have much to discuss with them, and you." She and the King strode through the open door.

Annabeth's mother came into the room, "What is all this racket. Annabeth, who was at the door?" When she saw the Royal couple, she kneeled gracefully, "My apologies your royal Highnesses, I did not know you had come."

The King bellowed a deep and rich laugh, "Of course, but here we are. Please, stand. Where is your husband? The Queen and I must speak with you both."

Annabeth's mother looked over at her, "Dear, please fetch your father as quickly as you can. He's off in the woods working on one of his projects." Annabeth left without a word.

When they returned, the King and Queen and Annabeth's mother were silently standing in the living room. Her father bowed and said, "My Lords, you grace us with your presence. What can a humble tinkerer do to assist you today?"

The King looked grave, "You must have seen this day coming. You see, Annabeth is not your child. In fact, she is ours."

## Chapter 2

Annabeth's father briefly lost his composure, "What? How can that be? There must be some mistake!"

The King's eyes flashed, glowing with a ferocious intensity, "You dare to question the King? If I say this is so, then it is so. You are no one to question me."

Annabeth's father regained his bearing, "Of course your Highness, my deepest apologies. It was merely a shock. Everyone in the village knows my wife can't conceive a child so we thought it was a blessing Annabeth was left on our door step. We couldn't have known she was of such noble birth. If we had known, we would have returned her to you immediately of course."

The King's face brightened up, "I believe you would have. At the time, we were so embarrassed at the loss that we decided not to make it public. I'm sure you understand."

The Queen spoke up, "We have missed her so much these many years, and now we have found you Annabeth. You must come with us now."

Annabeth's parents both began to protest but the King held out his hand, "Please my good people, this must be done. Parcell, show them the documents."

Parcell came into the room holding a stack of scrolls in his hands, "I think that if you read these, everything will make sense."

Annabeth's parents could not read well, but they had made sure that Annabeth learned how to read and write. She went over the assembled documents and realized that they were royal birth certificates and decrees stating that she was born 16 years ago.

Annabeth looked up at the Royal couple, "It looks to me as if these records are correct, but please, my Lords, I ask you to let me stay here. This man and woman, your loyal subjects, have served you well in caring for me. I beseech you, let them continue this charge."

The King and Queen looked surprised, "Well said my Dear," said the Queen, "You will do well in the royal court with a tongue such as that. I'm afraid that you must come with us. I know it will be hard but it's for the best." The Queen looked like she was trying to make her face seem motherly, but it was such a foreign practice to her that she failed immediately.

Annabeth looked to her adoptive parents for help, but they both stared at the ground. Her father glanced over at her and sadly shook his head. She knew that there was nothing he could do.

The King smiled as he saw this, "Well, excellent. It's all settled then. Annabeth, Parcell will help you pack your things. Hurry along now."

Annabeth looked at him sullenly, "Yes...Father."

The King quickly became angry once again, "You will address me as is proper. I won't remind you again. Now be off with you." The Queen looked equally enraged.

Annabeth went with Purcell to collect her things from her room. There wasn't much, so it did not take long.

"Just think," said Parcell as he held up one of the few dresses Annabeth owned, "Soon you will have all the clothes and jewelry you could ever want. You won't have to wear these dirty rags anymore."

Annabeth snatched her worn dress from his hands and put it in the sack. Her mother made that dress especially for her, and she would keep it always to be a reminder of how much her parents loved her. Her new parents did not seem as loving.

When they returned to the living room, Annabeth's mother was sobbing into her father's shoulder. It was all Annabeth could do to keep from crying herself.

The King nodded toward her parents, "You may hug them good-bye if you wish."

Annabeth wrapped her arms around both her parents, she did not want to let go. It seemed so cruel to be ripped away so suddenly.

The Queen's face tightened and became very stern, "Come now Annabeth, we're going."

Annabeth reluctantly let go, "Yes Moth... I mean Your Highness." she said and trudged out the door. As she glanced back, she saw Purcell hand her father a rather large bag. She could only assume it contained some kind of payment. "At least they would have something," she thought to herself. But just then she saw her father refuse to take reward. She smiled to herself, she could her him saying, "If I take this, how can I look my daughter in the eye?" She hoped against hope that she could see them again one day.

They entered the Royal coach, a magnificently ornate carriage. The doors were trimmed with gold and inside there were soft cushions and silky fabrics. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

While the cushions were soft, her new parents were anything but. They sat across from herself and Purcell, saying nothing and keeping to themselves. Purcell on the other hand was full of information and talked the whole way to the castle, filling Annabeth in on the various coming and goings of the kingdom. She politely listened but her mind was otherwise occupied.

A cold wind blew through the carriage. The sun was shining brightly but the cold was everywhere, it seemed that in the past few years it was always a little colder than the year before.

After many hours of travel they came to the Royal castle. The castle was surrounded by a large town, bigger than any Annabeth had seen before. It was teeming with activity, hustle and bustle filled the streets. Annabeth was fascinated by all the people.

"Close the shades, I don't want anyone seeing us," the King commanded. It was the first time he spoke the whole journey. Purcell complied and Annabeth saw no more until they reached the castle.

Once the carriage stopped, Annabeth and Purcell stepped out followed by the King and Queen. There was a large, bowing group of people waiting for them. Annabeth assumed they were the castle's servants by the way they were dressed. In front were several large men with sharp looking spears. These must be the Royal guard Annabeth thought to herself.

The King turned to face Annabeth, "Come with me. You will now be taken to your room." He motioned for the Royal Guard to follow. The Royal couple led the way into the castle, followed by Annabeth and Purcell, and the royal guard marching closely behind them. "So much security," Annabeth thought.

Once inside they climbed up a long stairwell in the corner of the castle. It felt like they were going up a tower, but Annabeth couldn't be certain. Once at the top, they stopped in front of a large, solid looking door with two small metal slots.

"Open the door Purcell," the Queen said. Purcell pulled out his keys, unlocked the door, and opened it with great effort. The door seemed very heavy.

The Queen pointed to Annabeth, "In you go."

Annabeth hesitated, this didn't look like a room for a princess. This looked like a prison tower!

The Queen became impatient, "Guards, escort this girl to her room." The royal guards roughly pushed Annabeth through the door, causing her to stumble. Before she could turn around, the door slammed closed and the top slot slid open.

Annabeth heard the Queen's voice, "Welcome to your new home, Daughter. I do hope you will find it to your liking." The Queen spoke to the guards, "Make sure she doesn't make too much noise and feed her once a day, understood?"

The guards spoke loudly, "Yes your Highness, it will be done as you say."

Annabeth cried out, "Why are you doing this? What have I done?"

The Queen looked through the slot, "Why? You were born my Dear, isn't that enough?" and the slot closed with a snap.

Annabeth was alone, trapped in the prison tower, all alone.

## Chapter 3

Annabeth paced around her tower prison, trying to make sense of her predicament.

How could her royal parents do this to her? What had she ever done to them? The whole thing didn't make any sense.

The guards fed her pretty much everyday, although they were not the most attentive to their task. Usually, in the morning she received her plate of food through the little slot, and that had to last her the entire day. While this was difficult at first, she quickly became used to it. Her family never had much and sometimes they had to go without food for a day. She didn't like it but she could deal with it.

After several weeks, Annabeth became very lonely. The guards barely talked to her and if they did it was only to tell her to be quiet or to make fun of her. She forgave them of course but the insults hurt. She kept wondering, what had she ever done to them?

At night she cried herself to sleep, because she missed her real parents so much. Every night she had the same dreams, dreams of her old life. She dreamed of her parent's loving hugs, her small, comfortable room, and the quaint but happy village. They were they most wonderful dreams in the world, and when she woke up to her dark, moist, and foul smelling prison cell it never failed to make her feel worse.

After months of being locked away, Annabeth's usually cheerful attitude began to fade. Her heart sunk so low and hope seemed too far away. She laid down on the dirty, smelly sheets that she formed into her bed, and prepared to give up.

Suddenly, from the tiny window high above her, she heard something tweet. Annabeth opened her eyes slowly, and coming into view was the bluest, brightest bird she had ever seen. The bird cocked it's head to the side.

"What are you doing there little friend?" Annabeth asked. The bird looked right at her as if it understood what she was saying and tweeted the most beautiful melody that she had ever heard. Annabeth took the last of the scrap of bread that she had been saving for her dinner and offered it to the blue bird. It flew down, settled on her arm, and began to happily nibble away at the morsel. It was the happiest Annabeth had been since her imprisonment.

When the blue bird finished eating, it sang its song once more and flew away. Annabeth smiled once again as she laid down on her dirty bed. She was hungry, and still in prison, but at least she knew there was hope, that there was still beauty in this world.

Everyday the bird came back at the same time, sang its beautiful song, ate some of Annabeth's dinner, and flew away. It was the only friend she had, but she was grateful for the bird's daily visits.

One day, the bird flew right into the tower without its customary song. In its beak it had a small plant. The plant was the greenest color that Annabeth had ever seen, it almost seemed to be glowing.

Annabeth took the plant from the bird and said, "Thank you little friend, but I have no soil to put it in." The bird immediately took off, flying out of the window. Annabeth was trying to decide what to do with the little plant when the bird came back with a very small bag in its beak. The bag looked very heavy for the bird, and Annabeth took it as soon as the bird flew by.

She examined the bag and found it contained a small amount of soil. Annabeth looked at the bird, "I don't know if this will be enough, but thank you for trying." It seemed like the bird was getting impatient as it huffily walked over to a crack between the stones in the corner of the room and pecked wildly.

Annabeth got the birds message, "Oh! Yes, that might work beautifully. And look, there's a little bit of sun for our new friend. Thank you Blue Bird!" The Bird nodded it's head and flew out the window.

Annabeth placed the small plant in the soil. It drooped slightly to the left, but otherwise seemed to be doing just fine. Annabeth moved her bedding in front of the plant so that the guards wouldn't see it if they happened to peek inside. For the rest of the night she watched the plant, very thankful for her new gift.

The next day she awoke to find the plant had grown. In fact it looked twice as big and seemed to glow even brighter. "This must be a magical plant," she thought to herself. She did what she could to block it from view but to her surprise, the next morning it had grown again, and this time it was bearing fruit. Annabeth was overjoyed!

She plucked a piece of juicy, ripe fruit off the small branch and tasted it. If you could mix the best tastes of apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas into one delicious taste you might have some idea of how good this was. Annabeth had two more pieces of fruit and slept on a full stomach for the first time in many months.

The next month held much improvement for the Princess. The Blue Bird visited Annabeth everyday and they shared a piece of fruit. Every night she went to bed with a full stomach and a glowing reminder that the world was a wonderful place.

One night as she was falling asleep, she dreamed that the bird came to her and started to talk. At first she didn't understand what the bird was saying, the way it usually happens in dreams. But as it kept talking, before Annabeth's eyes the bird transformed into a beautiful woman. She was older, and motherly looking, but she had a radiance about her that made Annabeth smile. Suddenly she understood what the woman was saying, "Annabeth, my dear, if you can hear me, you must leave the tower. Only you can bring True Justice to the land and save it from evil!"

## Chapter 4

"Annabeth, my dear, if you can hear me, you must leave the tower. Only you can bring True Justice to the land and save it from evil!" The motherly looking woman said to Annabeth in her dream.

Annabeth just looked at her in wonder, "How did you... but you were a... I don't understand?"

The woman's eyes softened, "I know dear, it's all a bit much right now but it will become clear soon enough. You are in grave danger. You must leave the tower as quickly as you can."

Annabeth's forehead creased in confusion, "Leave? Wait a minute. Who are you? Isn't this a dream?"

The woman looked thoughtful, "A dream? Yes I suppose, of sorts. But that doesn't make it any less real. As for me, I'm your Godmother. It's been my job to protect you."

"My Godmother, like as in my fairy Godmother?" Annabeth was very excited by this.

The Godmother's face twisted up, "Not a fairy, silly little things zipping about and causing mischief. No, I'm just a Godmother and that's how we'll leave it. Now, how can you escape?"

Annabeth said, "If I could have escaped don't you think that I would have already? Besides, where would I go? The Royal family would just hunt me down or do something terrible to my parents."

The Godmother became lovingly stern, "You can escape and you must. Or else your parents are in real trouble. As to where you will go, there are some very important things you must know."

Annabeth was cautious but she was listening, "Please, go on."

The Godmother took a deep breath, "You are the Princess Annabeth, there is no doubt about that. When you were born, there was rejoicing all over the land. After a few days passed, an old woman came and said a prophecy over you. She said that you would bring True Justice to the land. Although she didn't explain, it was thought that through you, all wrong would be set right and that everyone would get what they deserved.

"As you can imagine, there were many who wanted to make sure this fate never came to pass. That includes the King and Queen who imprisoned you here. There were threats against your life, and even a plot by the Royals to kill you. Fortunately you were taken away in the middle of the night and given to the people who you have grown up knowing as your parents."

The Godmother continued, "The King and Queen will destroy this land and your adoptive parents will perish if you do not escape and end this evil. Now, can you do it?"

Annabeth was shocked. This was so much to take in, "What you say feels true, though I do not know why. How can I trust you?"

The Godmother smiled, "Who do you think has kept you company this past month?"

Annabeth was shocked, "That was you!?! What magic you must have! Can't you simply turn me into a bird or magically take me away from this terrible place?"

Godmother's face fell, "If only I could, but my little miracles are only given to me for special tasks. I have every confidence that you will leave successfully. Does that mean that you will try?"

Annabeth was hesitant, but hope was rekindled in her heart, "Yes, I will leave. Where do I go though? Can I go back to my parents?"

The Godmother shook her head, "No, that would not be wise. Instead, you must find two items of immense power and bring them back here. Only then can evil be defeated and True Justice be set free throughout the land.

"First you must travel to my cottage, beyond the Thunderous Wood. You will find it easily if you travel down the lone river in that forest. Once there you will find a stone that shines like the sun.

"After you have the stone you must travel to the Northern Ice Fields, where the cold bites and the wind is fierce. Find the cave in the valley between the two great mountains. There you will find a an ancient scepter.

"Combine the two and bring them here to the castle. Down in the dungeon is a room long forgotten. When you arrive I will find you and tell you what must be done. Now, recite that all back to me."

Annabeth did as she was told, and remembered everything perfectly, "Godmother, why have I not seen you till now?"

"Because it was not time my Dear. But have no fear, I know you will succeed. One more thing, I am not permitted to come to you like this again until you have the two items and are ready in the dungeon. You must do this, and you will do this. The land is counting on you."

Then the Godmother began to fade away.

Annabeth cried out, "Please, Godmother, don't go, I have so much to ask."

But her Godmother was gone, and Annabeth woke up alone to the soft glow of her magical plant. Sleep was out of the question now as she thought deeply about what her Godmother had just said. Annabeth plucked a piece of fruit and nibbled as she devised a way to escape.

The next few days proved to be highly frustrating. No matter how she tried to escape her prison, her attempts failed miserably. She tried tricking the guards to come into the cell but they had strict orders to stay outside. She tried faking a terrible illness but they didn't seem to care. She even tried flirting with each of the guards as they brought her meal, which really made her a ill, but that didn't work either.

"What else could I do?" Annabeth asked herself.

She decided to send for help. Surely someone would come to the rescue of a princess. She took one of the tattered rags and wrote a message using the juice of one of the fruits, "PLEASE HELP, PRINCESS IN TROUBLE. ROYAL CASTLE TOWER." Annabeth rolled the rag up, tied it with a thread, and gave it to her friend the Blue Bird.

The bird took the rag and quickly left through the window up above.

The Blue Bird flew high and far. Eventually she settled on a branch to rest and watch the road for a suitable recipient of the Princess's message. After several minutes, a young man on a horse road toward her. He was dressed in battle gear and looked like he had been traveling for a long time. The bird swooped off her perch and dropped the rag in the man's lap.

The man was startled. It's not everyday you get a piece of rag dropped on you by a blue bird. He was just about to toss the rag onto the road when he saw what looked to be writing on both sides. He opened up the rag and read the message.

## Chapter 5

The man read the message carefully, "PLEASE HELP, PRINCESS IN TROUBLE. ROYAL CASTLE TOWER.

"Hmmmm, sounds serious," he said to himself. "Must be close if the bird was able to bring it here. And a captured princess means ransom money. Worth a look at least." He spurred his horse onward down the road.

The man came to the castle and stopped short, he had never seen anything so large in his life. The entire city was massive and there was activity buzzing everywhere, but he had a mission to accomplish so he rode straight on to the castle gate. The draw bridge was down and it was protected by a gang of guards.

The man rode up to the guards. While he wasn't quite sure what to do, he often found that acting more confident than whoever he was talking to usually did the trick. He stared down at the guards, "I have traveled long to see the Princess you have captured, now let me through you dog!"

The words did not have the effect the man intended. The guards became cold and angry, "We don't care how long you traveled, you ain't gettin' in here Bub. Now, scram." Said the lead guard while he made a wave of his hand.

The traveling man did not move, "You DARE talk to me in such a manner! I am Prince Ryan of Altersia, seventh in the royal line. You will let me pass!" and the Prince showed them his royal medallion. The lead guard took a look and immediately bowed low to the ground. The other guards did likewise.

The lead guard grovelled, "We meant no offense your Highness, of course you may enter. We will announce your presence right away."

The Prince shook his head, "No need to announce me, I'm sure that I can find my way around. You have done your duty here and you are to be commended. I will put in a good word about you to the King."

The Lead Guard nodded and lowered himself further, "Thank you my good sir, thank you much."

The Prince rode through the gang, "Think nothing of it. You and your men should get everything that's coming to you." And the Prince rode into the castle. He assumed that the prison tower was the tallest tower in the castle and headed in that direction.

Walking up the long stair well, the Prince thought about his medallion. He really was a Prince, though his kingdom was nothing impressive. His family ruled over a small marsh country in the south, and their castle was little more than a largish house. His parents were mushroom farmers, as was the rest of the marsh peoples, not exactly glamorous. Luckily those guards had never heard of Altersian Mushrooms or else they would have asked more questions.

As he came to the top level, he saw that the door to the tower room was guarded heavily. Three very large men stood outside, and these did not look like the type to be intimidated like the other guards. Prince Ryan decided to use a bit of guile instead.

He talked up to the largest guard and had to hold his breath. The man stunk to high heaven. "The queen sent me to interrogate the prisoner," Ryan said as he showed his Royal medallion.

The large guard had large, evil eyes and a jaw that stuck out too far. He looked closely at the medallion, then at the Prince, then back at the medallion. "What's the Password?" he said gruffly.

Prince Ryan was taken aback, he hadn't counted on this. "The Queen was in a rush," he said haltingly, "She didn't have time to tell me such trivial details. I know the Princess is in there and I was sent to ask her some very pointed questions, if you get my drift."

The Large Guard did not. Drifts were not his business, only guarding the door. "What's the Password?" he repeated.

The Prince became exceedingly upset, "I already told you, her Highness was not able to give it to me. But I have a job to do so you will let me through." And the Prince started to walk towards the door. He was stopped by a monstrous looking hand.

"No password, no entry," was all the guard would say.

The Prince almost screamed, "But I have urgent business, you must let me in."

The guard didn't blink, "What's the password?"

Obviously this was a fight that the Prince wasn't going to win. He couldn't take all three guards in a fight so he turned on his heel and went back down the stairs, defeated but not for good. He was forming a rather crazy plan.

Fortunately, crazy plans were kind of his specialty. That night he set his plan in motion.

The one thing the Prince had going for him was that he was an excellent marksman. He could shoot an arrow farther than any professional archer he had ever met and he always hit his target.

He tried to remind himself of this as he aimed at the castle tower. It was farther than he had ever shot before and he was aiming for a target that he couldn't see. "I really hope there's a reward for saving this Princess," he said to himself.

His custom made bow was designed for long distances. Prince Ryan breathed steadily and pressed the trigger to release the arrow. The arrow and the small rope attached to it sailed through the air. He only had one chance at this. If the arrow hit the side of the tower and a guard found it, he was done for.

The wind picked up and the arrow veered a little off course. "NOOOOOO!" the Prince screamed.

## Chapter 6

Annabeth was having a tough time sleeping that night. She could only hope that her plea for help reached someone that was able to come to her aid. Just as she was imagining what it would be like to leave the tower, she heard a whistling sound in the wind. This was a different whistling than she had ever heard before and Annabeth sat up to get a better listen.

The whistling got closer, then there was a crashing sound above her and an arrow fell right between her legs. It made her jump with surprise and Annabeth had to cover her mouth to avoid making noises.

A small rope was attached to the arrow's end, and a thin paper was wrapped tightly around the shaft. Annabeth took the paper and saw there was a note on it, "GOT YOUR RAG," it said, "CLIMB OUT TO ESCAPE."

Annabeth's eyes got very wide, "You can't be serious!?!" she said as she looked up through the window in her roof. Turning the paper over, she saw a second note, "YES, I'M SERIOUS. USE RAGS TO SLIDE DOWN."

Annabeth steeled herself. She knew that this was her best option. Actually it was her only option for escape. She had to do it.

Quietly as she could, Annabeth tore up the rags that had been her bed. As she wrapped them around her hands, she looked down at the glowing plant that had given her so much hope. She knew that it couldn't come with her, it had grown too big. Her heart felt like it would tear open, but she had to escape. She placed her hand on the plant and felt its warmth. Annabeth said a little prayer for the plant's safety, hoping that the Blue Bird/Godmother would take care of it.

Annabeth climbed the rope up to the roof. She was stronger than most of the girls in her village, but this was a challenge. It was almost 20 feet up to the roof, and by the time she reached the top her arms were so tired they were about ready to give up.

Finally, she made it to the top but her arms needed a rest. As Annabeth looked out over the night and the scattered light of the city, she was reminded of how beautiful the world was. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she saw, far off in the distance, her little village. Her parents must be there.

The rope tugged a little and she tugged back. Annabeth wasn't sure how to get down the rope. She could just crawl down using her hands and legs, but she was suddenly struck with an idea that sounded both frightening and the most fun she could ever have. With a mischievous smile, she grabbed the rope with both hands wrapped thickly in rags, and jumped off the roof. She slid down the rope, air whooshing by her, going faster and faster. She was scared but something inside of her could help itself as she let out a loud "Woooooo!"

The Prince saw her sliding down the rope, whooping and hollering like a savage. He couldn't help but smile, he like this Princess already. One thing she hadn't counted on was how the rope sagged a bit and how fast she was coming down. At this rate she would slam right into the wall and fall 50 feet to the ground. Prince Ryan had mere moments to form a plan. He grabbed an extra piece of rope, tied it to the wall, and watched as she slid down.

He timed his jump perfectly. Swinging down and to the side, the Prince swooped in and snatched her off the rope. Annabeth grabbed on to the Prince and held on for dear life, just thankful to be safe. The Prince's feet landed on the side of the wall and he repelled them down safely.

Feet firmly on the ground they got a good look at each other. Prince Ryan was taken aback. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life, but it was more than just because she was pretty. It was like she glowed. Most princesses were stuck up and spoiled, but this one seemed to have none of that. He didn't know what to say.

Annabeth looked at Prince Ryan and wasn't sure what to think. He was handsome, but very rugged and it looked like he hadn't showered in some time. In fact, he had a bit of a scoundrel look to him. But he had saved her life, twice, so she was indebted to him. Plus he was kind of cute...

Prince Ryan was finding it difficult to speak, "My name is Ryan, uh, Prince that is, Prince Ryan of Altersia. It's my great honor to save you."

Annabeth laughed softly, he was cuter when he was nervous, "Thank you for saving me my good prince, my name is Princess Annabeth. Altersia? Isn't that where the mushrooms come from?"

The Prince looked embarrassed, "Well, I suppose, yes it is. We should be off. They'll be looking for you soon enough." And with that he grabbed hold of her hand and they ran away from the castle.

They came to the Prince's horse and after mounting, Ryan helped Annabeth up behind him. They rode out of the city and into the dark forest.

Once they were far enough away, and Ryan was reasonably sure that listening ears out of range, he asked Annabeth, "So, where can I take you? Where's your home?"

There was a sadness in Annabeth's voice, "I suppose that was my home. It seems that the Royal Couple are my parents."

Prince Ryan brought the horse to a stop and spun around, "Are you telling me that I just kidnapped a Princess from her castle?! That's just Fantastic!"

Annabeth worried that he might return her to the castle, so she spoke quickly, "No, you don't understand. You see, they locked me in the tower and I had to escape."

The Prince shook his head, "Honey, I don't care what they did. You belong to them and I'm honor bound to take you back."

Annabeth pleaded, "Please, don't. I have a mission. The Royal Couple is evil and I have to stop them. I can't go back there." Annabeth began to tell the Prince her tale.

To Prince Ryan's credit he listened to the whole thing. He thought it was interesting, certainly not something you hear everyday.

When she finished the Prince looked more softly at her, "Okay, I get why you want to leave, and I'll admit that it's strange for parents to do that to their kids, especially if you didn't do anything to deserve it. I'm not sure that I buy the part about the bird and the Godmother, though a blue bird did deliver the rag to me. This is all pretty strange. So what's this True Justice your Godmother spoke of, what does it do?"

Annabeth looked uncertain, "I think it means that everyone will finally get what they deserve. So if you've done bad things, then you get really bad things happen to you. But if you've done good things then you get very good things. I just don't know for sure."

The Prince suddenly looked grave, "I see," he said, "We should make camp here for the day. Probably not a good idea to travel when everyone can see you."

Annabeth agreed but she nervously noticed that something about the Prince's demeanor changed.

They set up camp and went to sleep.

When Annabeth woke up, she was alone. Where the Prince had been sleeping, there was only a piece of paper. On the paper was a note, "I'm sorry, but I can't help you on your journey. I have done too many terrible things in my life and if True Justice comes I am afraid of what it will bring for me. I hope you stay free but I can't help you."

Annabeth let the note fall to the ground. She realized that she was alone in the middle of the woods.

## Chapter 7

All alone, with no idea of where to go next, Annabeth waited until night to continue down the road through the wood. She had some idea that she needed to find the river, although she had little notion of where it might be. She figured that the road would come near it at some point.

When the twilight came, and the sun had just dipped below the horizon, Annabeth set off down the road. She was careful to keep a watch out for other travelers. Prince Ryan was correct in saying that she should try to avoid other people. She had no idea who might be trying to capture her again.

As crept carefully down the road, the Princess thought about Ryan. How could he just leave her in this state? Didn't he care that it was dangerous? True Justice wasn't something to be feared, she thought. But then again she hadn't done anything that would warrant a terrible punishment. Suddenly Annabeth felt sorry for the Prince. She was still angry but she was ready to forgive him for being a coward.

Annabeth was pondering her situation deeply, paying too little attention to her surroundings, when suddenly a net came down on her. The edges were weighted and pulled her to the ground, slamming her whole body into the dirt road. She fell with a thud.

"What do we 'ave here my friends?" asked a voice from the woods, "A little birdie lost from the nest. We better take care of her I think."

A chorus of wicked laughter echoed from all sides.

Annabeth cried out, "What do you want of me? I'm simply traveling to my Godmother's house," she said truthfully.

A solid looking, dirt covered man emerged from the thicket and stepped in front of her, "I think you might be late little Bird, do hope your Godmother won't mind." He grinned a missing toothed smile. "But have no fear, the Thunder Wood Bandits will take mighty fine care of ya. What's your name my lovely?"

Annabeth thought about lying but she didn't have it in her, "Annabeth, and you have no right to detain me."

The gruff Bandit laughed again, as did his men, "No right? Well I suppose that's true. But what exactly are you gonna do about it, Hmmmm?" When Annabeth didn't answer, he said, "That's what I thought. Wrap her up boys and take her to the hideout!"

The Bandits wrapped the net around her tightly so that she couldn't escape. A giant Bandit picked her up like she didn't weigh a thing, tossed her on his shoulder, and off they went through the woods.

Later that night, Prince Ryan was drowning his conscience at the local pub. The Prince didn't really like drinking ale but his conscience was killing him. Leaving a woman in need wasn't his usual practice, in fact it was against everything he believed in. But how could he help bring about True Justice if he was certain that it would kill him? He quickly ordered another pint of ale and tried not to think about what he had done.

A group of foul looking thugs burst into the pub singing an old song of the wood. They had obviously come to celebrate, much to the annoyance of the Prince. What were they so happy about he thought.

The barman asked, "What can you do for ya?"

The group shouted all at once, "Ale! A round for us all!" They resumed their singing and laughing.

Try as he might, Prince Ryan couldn't help hearing what the loud group was saying. He tried to ignore them but then he heard them talking about a female prisoner. "Aye, pretty that one. Found her wandering all alone n'the wood, not a suit'ble place for a pretty thing like that. The Cap'n thought she'd make a nice trophy till we saw the ransom poster.

Another interrupted, "Seems the Royal Princess got herself lost, n'we found her!"

The First continued, "I'm sure the Cap'n will get enough gold for all of us once them High and Mighty folks from the castle come to pick up their precious little girl in the mornin'. To the little lost Princess!" and they raised their glasses for a toast.

Prince Ryan stared at the bottom of his cup. He had done this. If he hadn't left her, those Bandits would never have taken her. Now she's going back to the tower, probably to be tortured, or worse. He could hear his father's voice in the back of his head telling him, "Son, these are the choices a man has to make. They decide who he is."

The Prince had to decide what kind of man he was. In that moment he chose to be a good man from now on, no matter what it cost him. He would save Annabeth.

The Bandits were drinking until late, but they had to head back to camp at some point. Ryan left the pub but waited in the shadows for the group to emerge. Hours passed and he was afraid that they had drunk too much or passed out. Fortunately, one bandit had to go back to camp and he stumbled out of the pub.

Ryan followed him easily. As the Bandit ambled through the woods, he made several wrong turns and had to back track, which made things tricky for the Prince, but eventually they made it safely to the Bandit camp.

The Camp was set up in a clearing in the middle of the woods. There were several tents surrounding several small fires dotted around the clearing. The Prince didn't see Annabeth anywhere in the open, so he figured she must be in on of the tents.

The staggering bandit was being scolded for drinking too much by a larger man who was obviously his superior. After a very thorough yelling, the superior sent the Bandit to a tent at the edge of the encampment.

Prince Ryan was pretty good at sneaking around. He used to practice this kind of thing as a kid when he was hunting silver marsh foxes. Slinking up behind the same tent that the staggering bandit entered, he quietly peaked inside. There was the bandit, slumped on the ground, snoring soundly. And right next to him was Annabeth.

"Pssst, Annabeth," the Ryan whispered.

Annabeth turned around slowly, and saw the Prince. She was excited but tried not to show it, he had abandoned her after all. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

Prince Ryan rolled his eyes, "I'm here to save you of course. I'm sorry about leaving you but there's time for that later. Now, be quiet." He said as he crawled into the tent.

He cut Annabeth's bonds and they crawled out of the tent. Just as Annabeth was halfway out, the large boss that had been yelling at the staggering Bandit decided to check in on him. He opened the flap just in time to see the Prince's shoe disappear from under the tent. The boss Bandit kicked the sleeping guard and yelled out, "SHE'S ESCAPING!"

The whole camp was awake now and Ryan and Annabeth heard a large commotion behind them.

Ryan and the Princess ran quickly down a trail, but she seemed to be slowing down. Prince Ryan squeezed her hand, "Come on your Highness. There's an army of Bandits on our tale and they don't seem to happy about losing you."

## Chapter 8

Prince Ryan and Princess Annabeth ran through the forest as quickly as they could. Hacking his way through the brush with his sword, Ryan tried to figure out which direction they were going. He was pretty sure they were heading toward the river.

Through her panting, Annabeth managed to ask, "Do you know where we're going?"

Ryan tried to sound confident, "Of course. We'll get to the river and then we'll follow that out of the forest. Easy. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Annabeth wasn't so sure it would be that simple but she followed silently. She was having trouble keeping up, she hadn't run this much in years. But they both heard the Bandits closing in behind them and that pushed them to move faster.

After what seemed like hours, Annabeth stopped running. Ryan looked back, "Come on, we have to keep moving."

"I just can't, I need to catch my breath," Annabeth said between puffs, "My sides have cramped, I have to stop for minute."

The sounds of the Bandits giving chase had died down so Ryan didn't fight her too much, "Okay, but only a minute or two, then we need to get going." He looked over at her, "I wanted to apologize for leaving you before, it was wrong. I'm sorry."

Deep concern filled Annabeth's face, "I forgive you, I suppose it's not an easy thing I asked you to do. Thank you for saving me, again." she said with a smile.

Ryan waved his hand and smiled back, "No problem, it was my pleasure. I don't know how close the Bandits are, we should get going."

They ran through the wood, desperately trying to find the river. After an hour of wandering, with the sounds of Bandits getting closer, they found a steady path. Following the path led to a long rope bridge over a canyon, with the river raging below.

Ryan studied the bridge and canyon, "I think we can cross here and cut the bridge off when we get to the other side. Then we can make our way down to the river safely." The Princess nodded.

The Bridge was extremely rickety and the going was slow, especially in the dark. It was difficult to see where they were going and where the safe footholds were. They crept along as the Bandits got closer.

About halfway across, they heard a sound that made their hearts drop into their stomachs. A yell of triumph.

"OY! I found 'em. They're tryin' to cross the bridge!" yelled a particularly unpleasant looking Bandit.

Light from at least fifty torches sprang up and moved toward the bridge at once. Ryan and the Princess kept moving but it was pretty obvious that they wouldn't be able to make it to the other side by the time the rest of the Bandits got to the bridge.

The Bandit Captain was first to get there and called out, "That's far enough, no need to go any farther. We got ya. Just come on back and no one's gonna get hurt. I promise." A chorus of snickers and wicked laughs followed.

Ryan spoke up, "There's no way you're going to catch us, just go back. We'll forget this whole thing."

The Bandit laughed, "No, I don't think so. If you keep going I'll have no choice but to cut the bridge from here. It's a mighty long fall, and if that don't kill ya, the river'll finish the job. Just come on back and everyone can get what they want."

Ryan and Annabeth stopped. Annabeth looked worried, this whole adventure wasn't going how she thought it would. Ryan knelt down and started to rummage through the his pack. Looking up at her he asked, "Do you trust me?"

Annabeth wasn't sure but she decided to have a little faith, "Yes, I trust you. What do you have in mind?"

Ryan just smiled a roguish grin, "Just wait, when I tell you to hang on, you hang on to me for dear life, okay?" She agreed.

The Prince shouted out to the Bandits, "No deal. If I can't have her then no one can. I'm calling your bluff."

The Bandit Captain shrugged his shoulders and shouted, "Fine, have it your way. CUT THE ROPES!" Five Bandits rushed forward, swords bared, and hacked away at the ropes.

Prince Ryan wrapped his rope around his waist and then around Annabeth's. He then fastened the other end around the bridge itself. They braced themselves for the inevitable fall.

The Bandits cut the last bonds and the bridge creaked forward, the end slipping away into the abyss. The ropes fluttered in the wind as the bridge fell down into the crevasse. Ryan and Annabeth fell along with it.

Ryan yelled out, "HOLD ON!" and when Annabeth was gripping him firmly, "LET GO OF THE BRIDGE!" and she and Ryan plummeted toward the river.

Prince Ryan's rope held as they swung from the free-falling bridge, rocketing toward the river. Just as they were skimming the surface of the river, Ryan reached up and sliced the rope. He and the Princess skidded across the water, tumbling onto the small river bank. Battered and bruised, they laid on the shore and took stock of themselves.

Ryan looked over at Annabeth, "Anything broken? You okay?"

Annabeth felt her limbs, "I think so. That was amazing!"

The Prince saw her gleaming face; she was enjoying herself! This girl was crazy, but he was starting to like that about her.

Annabeth jumped up and stretched her muscles, while Prince Ryan got up a little more slowly, "According to your Godmother, if we follow the river we should find her house. We should get moving, just in case the Bandits are somehow able to follow. You ready?"

Annabeth nodded and they marched along the bank of the river. They were both exhausted but the adrenaline of escaping death kept them moving.

After a few hours of making their way along the river, Prince Ryan was pretty sure that the Bandits weren't coming after them. They took a break to rest. After an hour they set off once again. Somehow, Annabeth felt the house getting close.

Just as the sun was setting, there it was, the Godmother's house. It was the brightest and most cheerful house either the Prince or the Princess had ever seen and they ran toward it. But something stopped them dead in their tracks.

Rising up before them, large, gray and menacing, was a gigantic Stone Monster.

## Chapter 9

They were almost to the Godmother's house when a large gray shape stepped into view from behind the house. It was a Stone Monster. It had a wavy, rock-like exterior and two piercing white eyes. The monster paced around, guarding the house from any intruders.

Prince Ryan pulled Annabeth behind a tree, "Wait," he said, "Let's see what it does."

They studied the Rock monster for at least a half hour. All it did was walk endlessly around the house, surveying the land around it. It never varied its walking speed, never stopped for a break, always kept moving. Luckily it didn't seem to be aware that they were watching.

Ryan turned toward the Princess, "Okay, when he walks over to the other side of the house, that's when we'll make our break for the front door, got it?"

Annabeth studied the path to the door, making a mental note of all the tree roots and rocks that might trip them up, "Okay, but what if he sees us? How do we fight a rock monster?"

Prince Ryan shrugged, "I'd rather deal with that when we come to it. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said.

The monster's head disappeared behind the house, "Run!" whispered Ryan. Hand in hand they sprinted toward the front door, jumping over the small obstacles in their way. They had almost reached their goal when a loud roar filled the air and the ground began to rumble.

A shock wave sent the couple onto their backs. The stone monster had jumped from the other side of the house and landed right in front of them. Somehow it had sensed their presence and it didn't like them at all.

Prince Ryan was the first on his feet and he immediately drew his sword. He wasn't entirely sure that a sword would help in a fight with a stone monster but it was his only option. Annabeth got up slowly, partially paralyzed with shock.

The monster swung at them, but both jumped out the way just in time. The huge stone fist slammed down and dug into the earth, dirt and rocks flying everywhere.

It was just then that Annabeth remembered something her good Father once told her. He said, "If you ever run into a beast in the woods, don't run, don't try to fight it, just look at it and start singing. Your voice has magic in it Annabeth."

The Stone Monster was focusing on Ryan at the moment, who wasn't doing any damage to the monster's rock body. He was chipping his sword as much as the monster.

Annabeth yelled out, "Over Here! Come on, look over here!" but to no avail, the monster continued to assault Ryan. She picked up a large rock, threw it as far as she could, and struck the monster's head. A very lucky throw she thought, that is until the monster turned slowly toward her, its eyes filled with menace.

Not knowing what else to do, she tried singing. It was an old tune that her Mother used to sing to her when she was little. Annabeth sang as loudly and as clearly as she could, each note ringing out more sweetly than the last.

The stone monster stopped in its tracks. It was enchanted by the music and it began to sway to and fro, almost like it was dancing. Then it actually started to dance. The ground shook under the monster's feet as it moved around the house to the song. It was surprisingly graceful.

After several minutes it stopped, and laid itself down in the grass. Annabeth didn't dare let up but her voice was getting tired, and she hoped that the monster was falling asleep. She got her answer when they heard thunderous snores coming from its mouth. Annabeth finished her song, and then waited. The monster didn't move.

Ryan silently pointed at the house, indicating that she should quietly walk over there as well. Once they got to the door they opened it and stepped in.

The house hadn't seen guests in a while and there was a fresh layer of dust everywhere. It looked like a pretty ordinary house with furniture and a regular set of rooms like a kitchen and living room. Neither the Prince or the Princess knew where to start.

Ryan looked over at Annabeth, "So, where's the stone?"

Annabeth looked around the the front entrance to the house and shrugged her shoulders, "My Godmother didn't really say, she just said that it was here. I guess we have to find it ourselves."

While Ryan searched downstairs, Annabeth went up to look on the second floor. The first room at the top of the stairs was her Godmother's bedroom. There was a simple but very pretty bed in the middle of the room and several pictures scattered on the dresser and nightstand. Annabeth picked up one of the picture frames and gasped.

In the picture was her Godmother with a baby. The Godmother looked the same as she had in Annabeth's dream but the picture was obviously old. The baby looked familiar and Annabeth had a sinking suspicion that it was her. How did she know her Godmother? How had she come to be her Godmother in the first place? Annabeth needed some answers.

There were many other pictures of the Godmother with other people, the others mostly in Royal clothing. There was one other picture with her as a baby. Standing next to them was a very regal looking couple with stately grins on their faces. The couple looked like the King and Queen but strangely different, they looked free and happy. Not at all like the people that locked her in the tower. "I wonder what happened?" Annabeth wondered out loud to herself.

She checked in the drawer next to a bed and found a diary. Flipping through its pages, trying to find some hint at where the stone could be, she came across the last entry:

"She's safe. She may never know what evil has almost destroyed her but at least she is safe for now. I left her on the doorstep of a good family. I watched them for sometime and they will bring her up right and make her happy. Someday I hope to explain why I had to take her away but I also am afraid of that day, because it means that she will be the only one to stop the evil that has taken hold. I will miss being her nurse and caring for her, but it's better this way. Be safe little Annabeth, I love you more than I can say."

Annabeth began to cry as she read the last words. She had so many questions and so few answers. As she placed the journal down on the night stand, a blank piece of paper fell out. She picked it up and as she stared at it, words appeared. On the top was Annabeth's name:

"Annabeth, if you are reading this then you have had a great adventure with more trials to come. Look to the mantle above the fire for answers. Your Godmother."

Annabeth ran downstairs and saw Ryan opening cupboard doors in the kitchen. Ryan looked up at her, "I'm not finding anything. Did you see anything upstairs?"

She started to tear up at the thought of her Godmother sacrifices but she held the tears at bay, "I think I have to look at the mantle."

Ryan shook his head, "I already looked there, just an old clock and painting. Nothing with a stone in it."

Annabeth made her way to the fireplace, "Let's look again." and she showed the paper to the Prince.

He read the words and scratched his head, "It says above the fire, shouldn't it say fireplace? She must have been in a hurry."

Annabeth rushed to the fireplace and placed some logs to start a fire. Ryan understood and helped her. Once the fire was going strong and a soft glow was dancing all around the room, the painting above the fireplace began to grow brighter. It was a picture of a beautiful woman with a golden crown and several jewels inside it. One of the jewels shown more brilliantly than the rest.

"I wonder," Annabeth said as she reached out and took the bright jewel out of the painting. It shown even brighter in her hand and both she and the Prince were encouraged by its soft light. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay, now we just need to go north. We have a scepter to find am I right?" Ryan asked.

Annabeth nodded, "Yes, I'm not sure exactly where but I have a feeling that the stone will help us."

They rummaged through the Godmother's closet and found some fur coats and other cold weather gear. They would need them if they were going to the ice fields. Ryan poked his head out the front door and looked for any sign of the Stone Monster. It was still snoring loudly, not moving.

The Prince and Princess left the house, traveling along the river until they came to a road that would take them north. They were in good spirits and laughing and joking along the way.

After a while, Prince Ryan spotted a caravan of people coming behind them, traveling north as well, "Maybe we can catch a lift," he said, "Be a lot faster than just walking."

Annabeth looked uncertain, "If you say so, but I don't want too many people to see me."

Ryan understood, "I think we are far enough away from the castle that no one will recognize you. We'll just tell them you're my sister and I have to get you back before our Father gets angry."

Annabeth was slightly disappointed although she didn't know why, "Sister huh?" She said with a half smile.

Ryan stumbled a bit, "Well I suppose we could say we're married but I don't have a ring, and, uh, well. Um, yeah." He was very obviously flustered, which Annabeth thought was cute. She said, "It's okay, sister is fine."

The caravan had reached them and Prince Ryan hailed them over. The scout stopped short and stared at them suspiciously, "What business have you here? Make way for the King and Queen!"

Ryan and Annabeth went white as a sheet. Just then a familiar voice sounded behind them, "Well, what do we have here?" Purcell asked.

## Chapter 10

"Guards, tie them up and take them to the King and Queen. Quickly!" Purcell shouted.

The guards came over and did as they were told. They tied the Prince and Princess's hands with cords and dragged them toward the large carriage that Annabeth recognized. Purcell was happily chatting away behind them, "Oh Princess, we were so worried when we found you missing. I'm glad you have found a friend here to protect you but luckily we can do that now. Their Royal Majesties will be so happy to hear that you are safe."

Annabeth shot a nasty look at Purcell, "You locked me in a tower and kept me there as a prisoner. Now you want to put me back there?"

Purcell looked shocked, "Your Highness, if the King and Queen want to protect you, that is their business. I'm sure they have your best interests at heart. Please, step into the carriage."

Ryan and Annabeth did as they were told.

The Queen had a satisfied look on her face and the King looked smug. The Queen spoke, "Oh my Dear, we were so worried. How could you do that to us, and after all the effort we made to make your room so comfortable? I suppose we will simply have to find you a new room. Perhaps in the dungeon? What do you think my King?"

The King nodded his agreement, "Yes, the only suitable place for such a disobedient youth. You'll learn your lesson yet. I suppose this is the man who helped you leave the castle?"

Ryan gave them a steely gaze, "I helped her escape, and you should know that I am a Prince. My parent's will be less than pleased that you have taken me."

The King leaned forward, looking puzzled, "Parents? But aren't you the Altersian boy? They kicked you out did they not? Nasty business, killing a man. Not that I care really but I doubt your parents would raise much of a fuss. Besides, what are mushroom farmers going to do?" And both the King and Queen had a good laugh.

Annabeth looked over at Ryan, "Y... you killed someone?" The hurt was obvious on her face.

Ryan pleaded with her, "It was an accident, I didn't mean to. Rather than accept the punishment for my crime, I chose banishment instead."

The Queen was amused, "It's all a moot point now, when we return to the castle you will be tried for kidnapping, and I assure you this trial won't let you off so easily. Banishment is not an option." Turning towards Annabeth, "And you my Dear will live out your days in your special room. This time I will make sure no one comes to help you."

Annabeth stared defiantly at the Queen, "I know about True Justice and I know that you are trying to stop me from releasing it." Then her voice softened, "But whatever you did, I'm sure you can be forgiven. Please, you don't need to do all of this."

There was a stark chill in the Queen's voice, "So you know. I wonder how? Meddlesome Godmother perhaps? I suppose that's the only way. Since you know, I wonder if that makes it easier for you? Either way, we are not about to seek forgiveness or let you go. Don't be absurd."

Annabeth began to despair, "Why don't you just get it over and kill me then? Why all these games?"

The Queen laughed, "I guess you don't know everything then. No, we can't kill you. If you are struck down by an evil hand, then True Justice will be released. Instead, I think a comfortable dungeon cell will fit you just fine."

They traveled in silence after that, both Annabeth and Ryan furiously trying to think of a plan for escape. Annabeth was still angry with Ryan for not telling her the truth but now at least she understood why he was so afraid of True Justice. It would probably mean his death.

Just then it dawned on her that he was helping her anyway, that he saved her so many times when he could have just walked away. He did it even though it would probably be the end of him. A warm feeling stirred in Annabeth's heart as she looked over at Ryan.

As she was gazing at him, Annabeth saw a curious sight through the window. A tree trunk was flying at the side of the carriage like a battering ram. Before she could warn anyone, the carriage was smashed on the side and sent flying off the road. The Royal guards were caught completely unawares and scrambled to make sure the King and Queen were okay.

When Annabeth came to, the first thing she heard was a man shouting, "BANDITS!"

## Chapter 11

Annabeth was being pulled outside that carriage, and her hand went up ready to fight back. Then she saw the person pulling her, it was Ryan.

"Come on, this is our chance. We have to get out of here," he said.

Carefully they emerged from the carriage to a raging battle outside. Arrows were flying everywhere and the Royal Guards had their hands full with attacking Bandits. Ryan pulled Annabeth along towards a group of spooked horses.

Ryan checked to see if the horse's riding saddle was still in serviceable shape. Just then he heard a scream behind him. A Bandit had taken Annabeth captive. He looked familiar but his face was battered and bruised and he was missing an ear.

"I got you now my pretty," he said, "The Cap'n was mighty upset that I let ya go, but this'll make up for it I think." The bandit pointed his sword at the Prince, "Don't do anything silly boy, we're takin' this one and there ain't nothing you can do 'bout it."

Ryan met Annabeth's eyes and gave her a nod. She stepped backward and elbowed the Bandit in the stomach, breaking free from his grip. The Bandit doubled over, unable to breath but stumbled after the Princess all the same. Ryan moved in to protect Annabeth and the Bandit brought his sword down, aiming right at Ryan's head.

Quickly pulling out a hidden dagger, Ryan deflected the sword and punched the Bandit in the nose and kicked him in the groin for good measure. The Bandit went down and didn't get back up, he just laid there moaning. Ryan quickly took the Bandit's sword and slid it through his belt.

Ryan looked down at the assailant, "You, don't, touch her," then he jumped onto the horses back, "Coming your Highness," he said while holding his hand out to help her up.

Annabeth couldn't help but be impressed and vaulted herself onto the horses back behind the Prince. With a kick to the horses sides they fled the battle, leaving both of their would be captors behind.

They rode hard for many hours until the horse was too tired to go any farther. They had traveled many miles north and the temperature had dropped significantly.

Prince Ryan surveyed the woods around them, "We have to stop here for a while. I think we're far enough that we don't have to worry. Are you doing okay? Too cold?"

Annabeth shook her head, "No, I'll be fine. It's just been a busy day. I think I need a rest as well."

Ryan agreed, "We can take a break here for an hour or so," he said pointing to a grassy glen just off the road, "Then we need to head North as quickly as possible."

They led the horse to the glen which had a bountiful supply of grass and a small clean pond for everyone to grab a fresh drink. Ryan went and found some berries for them to eat. Since they hadn't eaten in a while, the berries were the best Annabeth had tasted.

As they sat and ate, she looked over at Ryan apprehensively, "Tell me what happened, with the man you killed."

Ryan stared at the ground, "Does it matter? It happened, and I have to live with that."

A worried look passed over Annabeth's face, "It matters to me, please tell me."

Ryan took a deep breath, "There was a man in the village, the blacksmith's son, and we never got along. Growing up as kids he always picked on me, and I was never able to fight back because he was bigger and stronger. As we grew up he didn't stop. We were always getting into trouble for fighting, fights that he started, but no one believed that for some reason. Then one day I was going out to the fields to harvest our crop and I saw him stealing some of our mushrooms. Everyone knew that he did that kind of stuff but his Father was an important man and so people in village just didn't say anything. Well, I decided to say something." Ryan got really quiet.

"Go on," Annabeth encouraged him.

The Prince sighed, "I told him to put the mushrooms down, that they weren't his but he wouldn't listen. He asked if I was going to make him put them back and I said I was. He got really angry and rushed me. I had a harvesting knife on me and pulled it out, but he was so enraged that he didn't see it. He rushed right at me and into my knife, it was all so quick that I didn't see what happened until it was done. He died right there in my arms. When I went to tell my parents they were horrified, but they were believed I hadn't done it on purpose. The rest of the village wasn't so sure, mostly because the Blacksmith was spreading lies about me and my family.

"There was a trial of course, but the village voted against me. They wanted to sentence me to death, but my Father stood up for me and banished me instead. I have no idea how much that decision hurt him, but I'll never forget the look on his face. I left the village and have been traveling ever since."

Annabeth looked at Ryan with sympathy, "I believe you. It sounds like self defense to me. Is that why you are afraid of True Justice?"

Ryan nodded his head, "Of course, I killed a man. True justice would demand that my life be taken in place of his."

Annabeth asked the question that had been burning inside of her, "But then why are you helping me?"

The Prince looked bashful and then resolved, "A man can't run away from his past. There's nothing I can do to change what happened but I can still make a difference. And, well, I just couldn't leave you alone with the Bandits..."

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because, I just couldn't, Okay?" The Prince was getting flustered. She thought he was cute when he got like this. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Prince Ryan blushed about 13 shades of red, "Umm, thank you. What was that for?"

"For being the most courageous and sweet man I have ever met. Thank you for saving me." Annabeth said.

Ryan grinned from ear to ear and stood up with a renewed sense of urgency, "It was my pleasure your Highness," he said bowing gracefully, "We need get moving again. I hope to reach the Northern border by nightfall."

They mounted the horse together and talked the whole way north. They talked about life, and their childhoods, and what they wanted to be. There was a lot of laughing but there was a dark cloud over the Prince the closer they got to their destination.

In the northern most town, they stopped to rest at an inn, and the next morning they bought some warmer clothes with some money the Prince had hidden in his belt.

They traveled into the frozen ice fields and the temperature dropped significantly. After a while, they didn't know which way to go and Annabeth felt a warming in her pocket. She pulled out the stone and felt it pulling her in a certain direction.

"We should go that way," she said pointing.

"How do you know?" the Prince asked.

"The stone is telling me I think, but I'm certain that's the way." She said.

They traveled farther, snow and ice getting heavier, making it hard to see. Then they came to a valley, between two large mountains. Just visible through the snow flurries was a dark hole between the mountains.

"That's it!" exclaimed the Princess, "We need to go there."

The horse was tired so they had to travel on foot. It was slow going and their feet were almost frozen before they finally reached the cave.

Once inside they rested. The air was warmer in the cave but not by much. Because the cave was so dark inside, the Prince was kicking himself for not remembering to buy matches or torches in the last town.

Annabeth pulled out the stone, "Maybe this will do?" And as she held the stone up it shown brightly enough that they could see the path in front of them. The air was much warmer now, a special gift of the stone, and they left the horse at the entrance as they carefully entered the cave.

Deep inside, they came to a room so large that the light of the stone couldn't reach the top. But as they looked to the back of the room, there it was. The Ancient Scepter.

But standing guard next to the Scepter, was a dreaded Ice Witch.

## Chapter 12

The Ice Witch was a legend in the south-lands, the kind that parents tell their children to make them behave. "Better not do that again or the Ice Witches will come and get you," they would say.

The story goes that many years ago, the Ice People, ruled by powerful magicians, conquered all the Land and put everything in perpetual winter. Eventually the people fought back and drove the Ice People and their witches north into the ice fields. No one heard from them since and they had passed into legend and myth.

But standing before them was a real life Ice Witch. She looked like an old Grandma, but with pale white skin, stringy white hair, and a long nose. She wore light blue robes that seemed to shimmer in the soft light of the stone. She didn't look happy to see the Prince and Princess.

She spoke with a raspy, ugly voice, "It hardly seems time for my Brother and Sister to send you here. Is the brat dead yet?"

Ryan looked shocked but quickly regained his composure, "We have come for the Scepter, stand aside."

The Witch looked suspiciously at the two, "I expected a full Royal Guard to come, not two half frozen tramps. Who are you?" She moved closer to the Scepter

Annabeth spoke, "We have been sent to retrieve the Scepter, will you let us have it?"

The Witch snarled at the Princess, "You! There's a light in your voice, I know who you are. So, the Princess of True Justice has been sent to fetch the Scepter. I suppose that's the Stone of Light in your hand. Let me guess, sent by a Godmother, hmmm?"

Both Annabeth and Ryan were taken aback. Annabeth stood her ground, "We were, this is what I was born to do. Now stand aside!" As she said the words the Stone glowed even more brightly.

The Ice Witch let out a deep and menacing growl, "I think not. If you want it, you will have to get through me!" As she lowered her ice staff at the Princess. An icy blast shot from its tip.

Annabeth moved out of the way just in time, throwing herself to the ground. The blast hit the wall sending rocks and ice flying all over. Ryan attacked from the side with his sword but the Ice Witch blocked his attack and blasted him into the wall. His body hit the cave with a thud and he fell lifeless onto the floor.

"Noooo!" cried Annabeth, as she slowly picked herself up.

The Witch walked slowly over to the Princess, "Now, I can't kill you. But I can freeze you. Have you ever been in an ice prison? Most uncomfortable, and very painful." She said with a wicked grin.

Annabeth looked around, but there was nothing to fight with. Then she felt a tickle in her palm. The stone was telling her something and suddenly she knew what to do.

She held the stone up to the Ice Witch and it glowed with brighter intensity than ever before. "I command you to stop, and for the power of the Stone of Light to melt your heart." And as she said the words, the stone shot out a solid beam of light, right into the Witch's chest.

The Witch screamed out in agony as the Stone did it's work. Slowly, color returned to her pale face and her hair changed from white to dark black. The Witch sank to the floor on her hands and knees, panting. The light from the Stone died down, and Annabeth lowered her arm.

The Ice Witch stood up and her eyes were changed as well. Instead of cold gray, they were a deep chestnut brown, and instead of hatred there was a sense of wonder in them.

"What did you do to me?" she asked.

Annabeth shrugged, "I wish I knew, it was all the Stone's doing. Are you okay?"

The Witch nodded, "I... I'm free! You have saved me, I'm warm, and happy, and the anger has gone!" The Witch began to dance and leap all over the cave. Annabeth couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

A small groan came from the other side of the cave and Annabeth remembered Ryan, as she rushed over to see if he was okay.

He got up slowly, "What happened? Is everything okay?"

Annabeth told him about the Stone and showed him the Witch's transformation.

Ryan was amazed, and asked the Witch, "Who are you? What's going on here? Why were you guarding the Scepter?"

The Witch stopped her merrymaking, "I'm sorry. My name is Nezla and I am one of the last of my kind. The old stories you tell in the south about the Ice People are true. We conquered your Land and ruled your people for many years, but eventually we were defeated and driven here, to the ice fields. Over the years, all of our people perished, except for my family. My Brother and Sister devised a scheme to restore our former kingdom to its past glory and snuck into your Land. The plan was to replace the King and Queen and slowly change the Land until it was ours. Ice Witches live a long time thanks to our magic so we can afford to wait."

Nezla looked over at Annabeth, "That is until you were born. A prophecy of True Justice was just the sort of thing we couldn't live with, so they replaced your parents and plotted to have you locked away forever. But before they could, your Godmother took you away. Now, these past years they have been changing the Land for the worse, and soon it will be too late."

Tears filled Annabeth's eyes, "What did they do to my parents?"

Nezla looked uncertain, "I'm sorry my Dear, I believe they are gone. My Brother and Sister don't take prisoners if they don't have to."

Annabeth handed the Stone to Ryan and walked away. She needed a moment at least to mourn her parents, even if she hadn't known them.

Ryan took the stone over to the Scepter and placed it in the space on the top. Then he removed it from its resting place and instantly felt the power of the Ancient item.

He turned to Nezla, "We have to make our way to the Castle Dungeon. Will you help us?"

Nezla gravely nodded, "Yes, I don't know what that Stone did to me, but I see the evil my Brother and Sister are doing now. We have to stop them, and you will need my help to do it. I know of the dungeon and the room you must get to. I will help you reach it."

Ryan and Nezla let Annabeth have her moment of grief. When she was done crying, she turned and walked toward them, a steely gaze replacing the tears. She looked at both of them.

"Let's end this, now."

## Chapter 13

Prince Ryan, Princess Annabeth, and Nezla the former Ice Witch made their way across the ice fields and into the southern land. Using the power of the Scepter, they were able to melt much of the ice and make their way quickly to the castle.

Even though it was still summer, the weather had turned colder and the temperature wasn't as warm when they traveled south.

"My Brother and Sister must be working their magic sooner than expected. I suspect they are worried about you my Dear." Said Nezla to Annabeth.

After many days of travel they finally made it to the Royal Castle. The town was eerily quiet, the usual buzz of activity slowed to a crawl. "I wonder where everyone has gone to?" asked Ryan.

"The people can sense something is wrong, they're scared but don't know why." said Nezla.

As they came to the Castle, they were uncertain about how to get in?

Ryan was out of ideas, "The guards are most likely on the look out for Annabeth and I, and this Castle is famous for not having any secret entrances. Ideas?"

Nezla spoke up, "I have some of my magic left. I think I can disguise us but you mustn't talk or it will ruin the illusion. And the transformation process hurts quite a bit. Are you up still for it?"

Ryan and Annabeth nodded their consent and Nezla began. Using the power of the Scepter made it easier but she was right, it still hurt. Their appearances changed, along with their clothes into members of the Royal Court. With their new identities they were able to bypass the guards. The Castle guards bowed as they walked by and Ryan and Annabeth nodded to them regally. Once inside the castle walls they found their way to the dungeons.

The Castle dungeons were just as they expected; dirty, dark, and smelling of something so foul that you wouldn't want to know what it was.

Nezla took the lead, "If I remember correctly, the room we need is in the lowest part of the dungeons. Come this way." And she walked briskly down the corridor.

They passed many cells, several with people moaning and wailing. Annabeth couldn't believe how many people were taken prisoner. "Can't we do something for them?" she asked.

Nezla stopped and turned, "The best thing you can do for them is to release your True Justice. All will be made right then." The Princess nodded.

Suddenly a woman's voice came from the nearest cell, "Is that my daughter? Your voice, it sounds like my Daughter. Please, help us if you can."

Annabeth went to the cell door and tried to look in but it was too dark, "I'm sorry my lady, I can't be your daughter, my parents are dead."

Nezla tried to rush them along, "We need to keep moving. Come on!" but the woman in the cell shouted out, "Annabeth! Is that you! Oh, my sweet daughter. You are alive!"

Annabeth rushed to the door, "Mother! How are you still alive? I was told you were dead."

Her Father answered, "We nearly were, but the Ice Witches wished to torture us for awhile. I guess they forgot about us and simply left us here to rot. I am so happy to see you, Annabeth."

Annabeth turned around to Ryan, "The door is locked, how can we get it open?"

Ryan went over to the door and looked at it, "Let me see if I can do something about that," as he pulled out a small knife and began to pick the lock.

Nezla began to get impatient, "Please, we don't have time for this. Your Highness, they will be freed when you bring the staff to the room. We must get going."

Annabeth stood firm, "No, we are going to rescue my Parents. You told me they were most likely dead but here they are. The room can wait."

The door clicked and swung open and Ryan stood back. The Real King and Queen stumbled out of the prison cell, dirty, smelly, and very thin, but the smiles on their faces brightened the dark of the dungeon. The reunited family hugged and cried, this was more than any of them had hoped for.

The real King took charge, "Your guide is right, we must get to the room. You have a big job to do young lady," He gave her one more weak hug.

The group headed down the corridor where a dim light was coming from a room down at the very end. They walked carefully toward it.

The real King and Queen entered the room, followed by Ryan and Annabeth, and Nezla right behind them, holding the Scepter. Once they were all inside, a brighter light shone from above, illuminating the entire room. They all stopped, shocked to see the fake Royal Couple waiting for them.

The Fake King laughed, "Well done my Sister, you have led them all to us nicely."

Nezla bowed and turned the Scepter on the real Royals, Ryan, and Annabeth, "It was my pleasure Brother. They were easily fooled." And before their eyes, Nezla began to change back to her true form.

## Chapter 14

Nezla's hair turned white as her complexion paled. Her eyes changed from brown to an icy gray. She said, "These two were so trusting, it was easy to convince them."

Annabeth looked over at the fake King and Queen, just as they began to change as well. The Royal robes dissolving and pink fleshy skin dissolving into pale translucence. They each held ice staffs in their hands, pointed at the real Royal family.

The Ice King chuckled, "Princess, I'm so glad you could join us. Honestly we couldn't have done this without you. Try as we might, we could never find that stone in the Godmother's house. But you found it and we are so very grateful."

The Ice Queen sneered, "And now the one thing that could stop us is here."

Annabeth cried out, "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?"

The Ice Queen was taken aback, "Do? DO? You and your people have done enough. They exiled my people to the far north and made sure that nothing could survive there. So my people died; starved and cut off from the world. You all should pay for what you've done. Now, we will begin a new age of ice and snow, filling this world with eternal cold."

The Real King spoke, "I am sorry for what my ancestors did. I cannot change their actions, but I beseech you now, end this madness. We can reach some agreement."

The Ice King spat out, "There is nothing you could offer us. Soon your kingdom will feel the ice like it's never felt before and your people will change. The Ice People will be reborn through them, as each new baby becomes ours."

The real Queen looked horrified, "What magic is this?"

The Ice King snarled, "It is a magic we had to sacrificed much to achieve, but it was worth every agonizing moment. Soon your people will know our pain as your children are taken from you and your race dies out. Then we will recreate the magnificence of the Ice People Race!" He turned to Nezla, "My Sister, will you do the honors?"

Nezla bowed, "Of course my Brother." And the Ice Witch broke the Ancient Scepter in half. The Scepter dissolved on the floor, each half fading away. The Stone of Light rolled harmlessly into the corner.

Annabeth screamed and buried her head in Ryan's chest, "What hope do we have now?" she asked.

The real Queen put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "There is always hope my Love. There is another way."

The Ice King and Queen began to laugh, "There is no way, we have defeated you. Now all but Annabeth will die."

Suddenly, a wall of blue flame sprang up around the Royal family and Ryan. They were all transported, or so it seemed, to a bright and sunny field. The sun was warm and birds were chirping merrily in the trees.

And standing in front of them was Annabeth's Godmother. She smiled brightly at the crowd as she walked up and gave Annabeth a big hug. "You have done so well," she said, "I'm glad you're safe."

Annabeth was confused, "Where are we?"

Godmother wrinkled her nose and grinned, "Just a little trick I had up my sleeve. Not to worry, you are safe for now but you will have to go back soon."

Ryan wanted to let her know what happened, "We didn't do so well actually, the Ice Witch took the Ancient Scepter with the stone and broke it. There's nothing we can do now. The Ice Witches will take over."

The Godmother looked shocked, "Defeated already? Tsk, tsk. There is another way to defeat them you know, although it will take great courage."

Annabeth nodded her head, "Yes, I understand," then looking at her family, "Somehow I had always known it would come to this. I will sacrifice myself."

Her parents cried out, "No, you can't!" But Annabeth waved them off, "I must, it's the only way."

Ryan took her hands and looked her in the eyes, "Annabeth please. You can't do this, not now. I can't bear to lose you. I... I mean I think that I... I love you."

Annabeth gasped and the Godmother looked at the Prince, "Would you be willing to stand in her place? Even if you knew that True Justice would not be the end of you?"

The Prince's face lit up, but he was confused, "What do you mean? Don't I deserve death?"

The Godmother gave him a motherly smile, "There is more at work here than you know, than any of us know. Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself, knowing that?"

Annabeth interrupted, "No! I can't let you do this Ryan. I love you too. Please, let me do what I have to do."

Ryan answered the Godmother, "Yes, I would be willing."

The Godmother nodded, satisfied, "Well then, if you two are truly in love and willing to sacrifice for each other there may be a way. You will need to grab the Stone and place yourselves on the Alter in the center of the room. Then, True Justice can be released. What happens then I do not know. You may both be sacrificed but you will save everyone. Are you willing to do it?"

Ryan and Annabeth looked at each other with love and deep affection. If this was to be their last moment, she would make the most of it. She leaned in and he kissed her with all the love he felt in his heart. After giving each other one last hug, they looked at the Godmother. "We are ready." they said.

They were transported back to the Dungeon room with three Ice Witches about ready to fire at them.

## Chapter 15

The Ice Witches leveled their staffs, ready to fire. The blue flame still surrounded the Royal family, but Annabeth and Ryan only had eyes for each other. The flame followed them as they walked hand in hand toward the alter.

Once there, Annabeth reach out her hand and the Stone of Light floated through the air into her waiting grasp. The air sparked with electricity, crackling all around them. The Ice Witches screamed in horror and fired blast after blast from their staffs, but nothing could penetrate the energy barrier.

The Ice Queen yelled in anguish and charged the couple, hoping to get through, but she was knocked back into the wall slumping lifeless to the ground.

A golden light filled the Dungeon room and then the Castle. Suddenly the whole Kingdom was being illuminated with golden light. The doors to the prison cell opened and there was much rejoicing down the hall. All throughout the kingdom, wrongs were being set right. But it was not people getting what they deserved, it was love and forgiveness. Those who could accept it were set free, those who could not were left to their own devices but they could never again hurt the Free Ones.

The Ice Witches writhed in pain at the light. They could never accept such a thing, and they screamed out against it. The golden light became stronger and they fell into a deep sleep, their magical energy fading away into the light.

As the power intensified, both Annabeth and Ryan felt something coming. Ryan leaned forward and kissed Annabeth gently on the lips. "I love you," he said.

And that was the last Annabeth remembered before the darkness overtook her.

Annabeth woke up to a regal looking room with large windows and sunshine streaming through. Everything was bright and cheerful, and a faint golden light shone everywhere. She looked around and standing next to her bed was her real Mother and her adoptive Mother, both smiling at her. Her fathers were near the door, deep in conversation when her real Father saw that she had woken up. "Annabeth, thank God you are awake."

After hugs all around and many tears, Annabeth looked around the room, "Is Ryan asleep, did he not wake up yet?"

The Parents all shared a sorrowful look, so Annabeth asked again, fearing the truth, "Where is he?"

Her real Father, the King answered, "Oh my Dear daughter. He sacrificed himself for you. The energy built up in the room and became dangerous, but as he shielded you from the worst of it, he disappeared. I'm so sorry." And they all tried to put their arms around her to comfort her.

Annabeth pushed them off and began to weep. And she continued to grieve for days. While the rest of the Kingdom rejoiced, she could only think of Ryan and their love.

Most nights she had trouble sleeping. All she could dream about was him and how his face must of looked when he was being destroyed by the energy. One night, in the dream, the room went black and Ryan stepped out from the shadows.

"Annabeth," he said, "You must come find me. You are in grave danger. Please come my Love."

As she reached out to touch him, he faded away.

Annabeth woke up with a jolt and sat up in bed.

"He's Alive!"

Not The End Yet...

Find out Prince Ryan's Fate in...

# The Lost Princess in Desert's Embrace

Available now at all major retailers.

#

# 

# Preview of The Tales of Big and Little – Doom of the Three Stones

Available for Purchase at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

## Chapter 1

The Pizza Crust army marched forward, raising their swords and clubs, shouting a menacing pizza-crusty roar! The soldiers in the Army of Light stood their ground, but they knew that this was the last battle. The pizza crusts attacked, swinging wildly, hacking away. The Army of Light pushed back with all their might, but it simply wasn't enough... just then a great explosion in the sky blinded everyone for a moment.... wait a minute, I'm sorry, that part's at the end of the story.

The beginning of this tale starts with two dogs, Big and Little. They were like any other dogs; they loved to play and get into mischief. They barked and howled, and rough housed and cuddled. But these dogs were in love with one thing, something they wanted more than anything else in the whole world. Cheese.

Glorious, wonderful cheese. Cheese that melts all ooey-gooey in the mouth. Cheese that tastes like heaven itself. They loved cheese so much that they searched for it every day. But lately, cows had begun to disappear and cheese was harder to find. No one knew why the cows had gone, they just went away. And everyone knows that cows make the best cheese.

One day, they were walking around the neighborhood when they came to a fence. Through the fence they could smell that wonderful, delicious smell; the one that made their hearts leap. CHEESE! They got up close to the fence and looked through. What they saw was a wonder to their eyes.

Through the kitchen door of the house, was the largest platter of cheese they had ever seen!

Big looked down at Little, a small bit of drool escaping from his watering mouth, "Oh Little,", he whispered, "I want the cheese soooo bad."

Little nodded her head toward a hole in the fence, "Look over there, we could get in and take just a little cheese. No one would notice."

They both smiled. As soon as they got to the hole and started to poke their heads through, they heard a noise.

Suddenly, two huge, mean guard dogs came out of nowhere and snapped at Little's ear, almost taking a piece off. Big and Little scrambled back onto the sidewalk.

They were both breathing hard from fright, "Two guard dogs!" Big exclaimed, "How will we get in now, Little?"

But Little was clever, and usually able to think her way through these types of situations. She walked around the perimeter of the fence and surveyed all their options. The guard dogs followed them, watching through the fence and growling ferociously.

Then she looked up. Connecting the Cheese House to the building across the street was a thick bundle of power cords. If they could get up to the top of the building across the street...

Big tried not to look down. There they were, 50 feet above the street, on their way to the roof of the Cheese House. The cord swayed gently in the wind, but if you are ever suspended on a cord far above the ground, that sway sure doesn't feel gentle!

Big whimpered at Little, "Little, I don't know if this is worth the cheese."

Little looked back, "Not worth the cheese? Just think about how good it will taste! Trust me, we'll be okay."

Big always trusted Little. So they kept walking carefully, placing one paw in front of the other. Once they got to the roof they had to find a way into the house. Luckily, the owners had left a window open in the attic and they easily slipped through. They were almost there, they just needed to get down into the house and the cheese would be theirs!

Big and Little walked slowly over to the hatch that led from the attic to the main house, creeping softly so they didn't make too much noise. They carefully opened the hatch and looked down to see if the coast was clear.

"Grr...Ruff, Ruff!!!, Bark...grrr...Bark!!!!" The guard dogs were waiting for them, making such a noise. They couldn't get down that way!

Little looked around and spotted a small hole in the wall. It looked like the only other way to get down into the house. As they crept over to the mysterious hole, a voice called quietly from behind some old boxes, "I don't know if you want to go down that hole, you never know where it will lead."

Big and Little jumped back and watched curiously as a small Gnome stepped out from behind a large box. He was smartly dressed, with a red hat and a blue coat, carrying a cane that he spun in one hand. He wore a happy smile that made the dogs want to trust him.

"Let me guess," began the Gnome, with a jolly laugh, " You're both after that cheese downstairs?" The Dogs just nodded their heads. The Gnome nodded his in return. "Aye, it's the only thing worth braving those beasts to get. I'll tell you what, if you can help me with a little problem I've been having, I will help you get the cheese." He looked from Big to Little and raised an eyebrow. "Deal?"

Big looked over at Little with pleading eyes. Cheese. Little returned his look of longing. Cheese. With unspoken agreement the two smiled, looked over at the Gnome and said in unison, "Deal!"

The Gnome jumped in air and yelling "Huzzah!" And enjoyed a brief victory dance. Then with a smile he said, "Okay, now we can go down the hole!"

The dogs looked at him cautiously. "Where does it go?" Little asked.

"Where do any magical tunnels go?" The Gnome replied with a wink. "Wherever you need them to!" He looked seriously at Big and Little, "We're off to my home, and to help me with my problem. Come on!" The Gnome jumped through the hole and disappeared.

Big and Little called out for the Gnome, but no one answered back. With a long sigh, Big steeled himself and said " A promise is a promise," He looked once at Little and then jumped through the hole. Little, not wanting to be a coward, but not trusting the hole completely, hesitated. She told herself, "If Big can do it, then I can too."

Tentatively, she put one paw through the hole. Nothing happened. With a deep breathe she took the plunge into the dark tunnel, and began to fall faster and faster down into the darkness...

## Chapter 2

Little flew from the tunnel onto a smooth, rather springy turf. The grass was the softest she had ever felt, like the silk blanket at home she was forbidden to lay on. Little wanted to roll around in it for a while, but then she looked up!

Little stared in wonder at the light pink sky which was, she thought, just like when you get to lick a candy cane and the colors run together. Next to a bright orange sun, spanning across the sky were seven moons, all different shapes and sizes. Little had never seen anything like it.

Big and the Gnome had already gotten to their feet and the Gnome was searching the horizon. Big was just standing, mouth hanging open, staring at the sky.

"They were right here when I left," The Gnome whispered to himself, but the Dogs could still hear him.

"Who are you looking for?" Asked Big.

The gnome looked at Big and said, "The Crusts."

Big and Little had no idea what that meant; they looked at each other in confusion. There was a low rumble and the ground began to shake beneath their paws.

On the horizon, marching over the hill, came an army of pizza crusts. The Gnome jumped into a battle stance, pulling out a fold-able battle ax. Big and Little looked at him in amazement. Big turned back to the advancing crusts. "What are...I don't...how did..." he managed to get out. "What do we do? Is this the favor you wanted?" Little asked.

The Gnome looked at the dogs and said, "I know that this is frightening, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you were up to the challenge. I was sent to your world in search of help. Maybe you are the two of legend, the two who will save us all! We shall soon see." Pulling himself to his full, if insubstantial, height the Gnome looked from Big to Little. "Let's defeat some pizza crusts!" he roared. And the Gnome sprinted with surprising speed toward the crust army.

Big and Little, encouraged by the Gnomes words, began to charge as well, baring their teeth and growling. The attack was terrible. The Crusts were armed with clubs and sticks, though some had small knives. These weren't enough to do much damage, but they could still hurt badly.

The Dogs rushed into the crust army behind the Gnome and immediately started to bite and chew. Big took a bite of a Crust and tasted it's buttery goodness. "These Crusts are Yummy," he thought to himself and attacked with extra fervor. Dodging clubs and batting away knives with his paw, Big was starting to enjoy himself, but he was also getting very full. He looked back to see if Little was okay, just in time to see a crust jump from behind and land a heavy blow with his club. She let out a whimper and then crumpled to the ground.

"Noooo" Big cried out as he trampled through the remaining army to get to Little. He stood guard over her body, and devoured any crusts that dared come close.

The Crusts were quickly disappearing. Between strikes from the Gnome's battle ax and Big's ferocious appetite, they didn't stand a chance. Eventually the last of the Crusts ran back over the hill, shrieking in high pitched, annoying voices.

The Gnome yelled after the retreating crusts, "Go on, run you cowards! Good riddance!" and then went over to Big and Little. Big was licking Little's wounds and making sure that she was taken care of. The Gnome knelt down and laid his hands on her head. Sparks of light shot out from underneath his hands. All of the sudden Little's eyelids fluttered and she smiled up at the two. "Did we get 'em?" she asked.

"Oh yes, we got them," Big told her, and then moaned. "and I am so full."

The Gnome laughed, "Thank you my friends. I can't tell you what a treat this has been. I have a feeling this is just the beginning. Now, about your little cheese problem..."

"Wait just a minute!" Little said as she stood to her feet. "What. Just. Happened?!?" she demanded. "We were attacked by pizza crusts! How? Why?"

The gnome looked at her seriously, "I wish I could tell you the whole story, but you probably wouldn't believe me. I ask you to trust me. If you are meant to understand all of this, it will be revealed to you in due time. If you are not meant to understand, then you are probably better off not knowing. As for this little adventure, these Crusts chased me into the tunnel where I found you and I could not defeat them without help. So I thank you and ask you to trust me once again." The Gnome looked hopefully at Big and Little.

Little didn't want to believe him, but she couldn't help it. Something about him just seemed good and trustworthy. He had such a kind and wise face. She nodded her head, and Big did the same.

The Gnome jumped with joy, "That is fantastic news! Now, let's go get your delicious cheese!" And he threw himself back into the tunnel.

Big looked at Little and said, "After you".

With a last look back at the lovely grass, which still begged to be rolled in, Little smiled at Big and entered the tunnel. They were on their way back to the real world. But one thing was bothering Big: how were they going to get past the guard dogs?

# Preview of Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

Available for Purchase at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

## Chapter 1

A lone spaceship blasted through hyperspace, intent on its destination. Its captain, Sean Ryanis, stared at the view screen, tapping the console impatiently. Worry lines creased his face and his mouth was turned down into a terse frown. His co-pilot Shaker glanced over at his partner and told him to chill out.

Ryanis grumbled, "If we miss this job, I don't know when another's gonna come around. Can't we push engines any faster?"

Shaker looked doubtful, "Their already at maximum. If we push 'em harder and they break, we don't have the parts to fix them. Don't know 'bout you but I don't want to be stranded in dead space. Like I said, chill. We'll get there in plenty of time."

Ryanis fell silent, he knew Shaker was right. Their ship, the Tiberius, started out as an old junky transport until he and Shaker got their hands on it. Over the years they turned it into the best independent frigate in the galaxy. But it still wasn't a good idea to push it too far.

It had been 4 weeks since their last job and supplies were running low. They were heading to the Firnote Quadrant because they heard the local magistrate needed of a couple of ships to transport goods into dangerous territory. The Tiberius had just enough fuel to get there, so this trip was a big gamble.

Ryanis closed his eyes, leaned back, smiling to himself as he thought about the 'dangerous' situation that lay ahead of them. He didn't know what the magistrate's idea of dangerous was, but Ryanis and Shaker had probably seen worse.

The loud blaring of the Tiberius' alarm shook him out of his daydream. The paticular noise let them know that it was a local planetary distress call.

Without opening his eyes, Ryanis said, "Shaker, turn on the coms, let's see what it is."

Shaker rolled his eyes, "Need I remind you that we only have enough fuel to get to Firnote and that's it. If we take a detour, there's no more payday. And remember what happened the last time we took a detour? I believe the Duke and Dutchess on Kloxon 9 still have a warrant out for your arrest."

Ryanis smiled wider at that thought, "I know, I'll be good. Can't hurt to listen, right?"

Shaker muttered sarcastically, "Can't hurt to listen..." as he flipped on the comm switch.

The speaker crackled and a pretty voice filled the ship's cabin, "All available fighting ships, the planet Martosis is under attack by a Malogan strike force. We are taking heavy losses. More enemy ships are arriving by the second. Bounty will paid to all independents able to destroy at least 5 enemy ships. Please, help us... All available fighting ships..." The message repeated.

"Hear that? Bounty!" Ryanis began to adjust the controls and set a course for Martosis. Shaker knew better than to get in his way, especially when it came to his instinct for money. Somehow Ryanis always knew the right angle to play and they usually ended up on top.

Despite his faith in his partner, Shaker was still a little nervous, "Fighting Malogans isn't my idea of an easy bounty. In fact, it's downright dangerous." But as he spoke, Ryanis' eyes sparkled.

Ryanis reached over and slapped Shaker on the shoulder, "Don't worry old buddy, I won't let anything happen to you," he said. He punched the hyperjump control and the Tiberius entered hyperspace on route to Martosis.

The ship jumped right in the middle of a full fledged war zone. Hundreds of ships shot across the sky, laser beams shooting everywhere. Explosions lit up space like a fireworks display. This wasn't exactly what they signed up for.

Just then, two Malogan fighters locked onto the Tiberius.

## Chapter 2

The black Malogan bubble fighters closed in on the Tiberius.

Ryanis told Shaker to buckle up as he swung the ship wildly to the left. The Malogan fighters tried to keep up, but their engines weren't nearly as powerful. Ryanis looped down and back around to come in behind the fighters and Shaker took them out with the quantum cannons.

With no more ships nearby, they were able to survey the battle. Shaker studied the monitors, "Looks like the Martosis forces know what they're doing. They're focusing all of their fire power on the main Malogan Command cruiser. If a Malogan flagship goes down, the rest of their forces usually retreat."

Ryanis smiled at Shaker, "See, isn't this more fun than hauling cargo?"

Shaker sighed as Ryanis pushed the engines to maximum, streaking into battle.

Malogans are the most feared species in the known galaxy but from everything that Ryanis had heard they weren't this powerful. At least not powerful enough to assault such an advanced world. It seemed his information was incorrect.

As Ryanis sped through the battle zone, Shaker fended off the bubble fighters. The ship bolted toward the Malogan command cruiser, a huge black cylinder hanging in space. The skin of the enemy ship looked smooth, only interrupted by the intermittent launch of more fighters.

Ryanis positioned the Tiberius for firing and Shaker set the Quantum cannon for maximum power. The light blue blast pierced the command ship's hull and they saw a small explosion as they raced across the length of the cruiser.

Ryanis laughed, "That got their attention."

"Bubble fighters right behind us," Shaker growled, "And they're gaining."

Ryanis banked hard and skimmed the very surface of the command carrier, hovering inches above the smooth black surface. The bubble fighters struggled to keep up and several crashed into the cruiser's hull.

The Tiberius pulled away and prepared to make another attack run. Ryanis looked off to the side toward the planet, "Looks like more ships are landing, it's all out invasion. Never seen the Malogans quite this aggressive. Must be something down there they really want."

Shaker nodded but kept his eyes on the monitors, "Ryanis, there are too many fighters in the attack path. We'll have to circle around."

"Nonsense," Ryanis said with smirk, and gunned the engine while performing a high speed loop maneuver. The Tiberius went up and around, then swooped underneath the cruiser rocketing towards the unprotected belly. Shaker fired at maximum strength again.

The blast was blindingly bright as a fire ball erupted from the hull. The Tiberius headed strait for the cruiser, but Ryanis pulled away just in time, barely touching the hull. The loud scraping sound and Shaker's worried look reminded Ryanis to be more careful next time.

The alarms went off again, this time it was a constant ringing. Shaker quickly went to the scanners, "Two frigates on either side of us, they're locked on!" he said.

The scanners showed two red dots moving closer, then two yellow dots appeared moving even faster. The alarm turned into a screech.

"Two Ship-Ripper missiles coming right at us, from both sides." Shaker said as he stared in horror at the monitor.

# Preview of The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight

Available for Purchase at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

## Chapter 1

Billy watched as the fist quickly approached his face. The impact knocked his head back and he heard the sickening crunch of bone from the bully's fist against his jaw. After that, everything went completely dark. When he came to, Billy was on the floor staring up at the Vice Principal, Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis did not look happy.

Reaching down to help Billy up, Mr. Davis shook his head. "Getting into more trouble I see." Billy's head felt woozy and he had a hard time standing up straight as the school hallway spun all around him.

"No Mr. Davis, I was trying to stop Rick from picking on Jasper, the new kid."

Mr. Davis looked at Billy sternly, "That's not what I heard, in fact no one was willing to say that you didn't start the fight. You'll have to come with me. We need to call your parents." Mr. Davis supported Billy as they walked to the main office.

"Not again," Billy said to himself. He looked up at Mr. Davis and said aloud, "Honestly, I was just trying to help. Rick and his friends were going to pummel him."

But Mr. Davis didn't say anything else as they made their way slowly through the hallway.

Safely in Mr. Davis' office, Billy slumped down in the chair across from the large desk as the Vice Principal calmly sat down behind it. He considered Billy carefully, "Billy, I want to believe you, but this is the third time in three months. I think that you should consider backing off. If there is any bullying going on in this school, the administration will take care of it. You need to let us do our job."

Billy wanted to laugh at that, but he knew it would only make matters worse. Every kid knew that Rick and his gang of bullies ran the school, but the Principal and his staff didn't do anything to stop them. No one was willing to say anything against them. No one except Billy that is.

"I'm sorry Mr. Davis, I know it's your job but if I see someone in trouble I can't help it, I have to help." Billy stared down at his feet dangling off the tall chair he sat on.

Pity crossed Mr. Davis' eyes and he glanced over at the phone, "Maybe we don't need to call you parents, this time. But if I see or hear of you getting into any more fights, I'll have no choice but to suspend you. Got it?" Billy nodded his head.

A simple nod wasn't good enough for Mr. Davis, "Billy, do you understand me?"

"Yes Mr. Davis, I understand."

Mr. Davis looked happy and began writing on the small white tablet next to his phone, "Excellent. Here's a hall pass to get back to class. Now, I don't want to see you in my office again, Okay?"

Billy took the note and shoved it in his pocket. "Yes Sir, thank you Mr. Davis." And he headed back to class.

He knew he was going to have a nasty bruise later, so Billy was thankful that the fight had only been one punch. But no matter what Mr. Davis said, Billy felt good that he stood up to the bully squad. Rick and his thug friends couldn't intimidate him, even if they had the rest of school running scared.

As he walked through the hall to his next class, English, Billy took a deep breath. Rick and all his goons were in the class too. He opened the door and the teacher was sitting at his desk while the rest of the class was busy writing. "Oh no," he thought, "I hope it's not a quiz or something."

His English teacher, Mr. Marconni looked up and Billy immediately saw disapproval on the teacher's face. He walked up and silently handed the hall pass to Mr. Marconni. The teacher looked at the note and then back up at Billy, saying out loud, "I see you've been fighting again." All the kids heads popped up and Rick smiled wickedly.

"Billy, I don't care if Mr. Davis gave you a pass, I won't condone this sort of behavior from my students. You get a zero on the quiz today, and I want you to think about how to improve your behavior. Now go sit down." Mr. Marconni pointed to the open seat in the back of the class. Billy walked past all the other kids, some snickering, some whispering, and he slumped down in his seat. Unfortunately it was just behind Rick and his posse.

Billy heard Rick whisper to him. "You're not gonna get away with what you did today. Me and the guys are comin' for you next." and Rick turned to give him an evil smile.

Billy laid his head on the desk. How could this day get any worse?

## Chapter 2

The class bell rang and Billy left the classroom, his head drooping low. He walked to his locker slowly. He was dreading the last period because he knew that right after school got out he was done for.

Waiting at his locker, as always during this time of day, was his best friend Grace. She and Billy had been best friends since they were little kids and she was the kind of girl that would rather punch you in the arm then act all weird and girly. He knew Grace would be able to get him out of this predicament; she was pretty smart.

When Billy came to the locker Grace was staring at his bruised eye, "I heard something about a kid getting picked on in the halls, shoulda figured you were involved somehow." Billy saw that she was worried about him.

"I'm fine, just Rick and his goons, the were picking on Jasper and, well, you know me..." Grace just nodded her head, she knew Billy very well. In fact, his willingness to stand up for people in need was what she liked most about him.

Billy continued, "Now, they want to beat me up after school. I don't know what to do."

Grace looked up to the ceiling, thinking really hard. Then she snapped her fingers, as a huge smile came to her face. She told Billy, "I got it, meet me in the girls bathroom five minutes before the last bell. See ya there," and she ran away as the bell rang.

Billy hurried to his science class, but for the rest of class couldn't pay attention to anything the teacher said. He was distracted by thoughts of being beaten to a pulp, but he was also curious to see what Grace had in mind.

The last bell couldn't come fast enough. With ten minutes to go, Billy raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom.

The Teacher looked surprised, "I think you can wait 10 minutes Billy, put your hand down."

Billy made his best 'I have to pee REALLY bad' face, "I'm sorry but I have to go really bad, like REALLY bad." Billy figured that no teacher wanted to a student to pee in their class.

He was right.

His science teacher sighed, "Fine, go, just be quick." Billy grabbed his books and raced out of the class. After a quick stop at his locker to get his bag, he made his way to the girl's bathroom. He knocked on the door softly, but didn't hear anything. Suddenly a deep voice behind him said, "What do you think you're doing?" Billy's heart sank as he turned around.

Grace giggled at his shocked expression. "I do a pretty good Mr. Davis huh?" Billy blew out a deep breath and lightly punched her in the arm, which she returned. Billy noticed that she had a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Come on in," she told him as she pushed her way into the bathroom. Stiffly, Billy walked into the girl's bathroom for the first time ever. Once inside, he noticed right away that it smelled better and was a lot cleaner than the boys bathroom. He thought it was pretty unfair that the janitors would clean the girl's bathroom but not the boys.

Grace shoved the clothes at Billy, "Here you go, put these on." Billy took the clothes and looked at them. They were kind of ratty, but clean and they didn't have stains. "What are these for?" he asked.

Grace rolled her eyes, "Disguise, duh? You gotta sneak by Rick somehow." Billy put on the pants and a hoody over his regular clothes. When he saw himself in the mirror, he looked a lot different.

"Do you think it will work?" he asked. Grace just shrugged her shoulders, "Don't know, but it's better than nothing. Don't worry, you don't look anything like yourself." Just then the last bell rang; it was time to leave school.

Both Billy and Grace took a deep breath and Billy pulled the hood over his head. As they walked out of the bathroom, they made sure no one was looking in their direction. They made it to the front door of the school and Grace tugged on Billy's arm, "OK, you walk ahead and I'll be behind you, if I whistle then it means they spotted you somehow and you need to run." Billy just nodded.

They walked casually onto the main street and Grace noticed that Billy was taking a different route home than usual. "Good job," she thought to herself. She put some distance between Billy and herself so it wouldn't be too obvious that she was following.

Minutes later she heard footsteps behind her. Rick and his goons passed right by Grace, and she started to whistle loudly. She just hoped Billy could hear her. He did, and turned to look. When he saw Rick, Billy took off in a sprint. Rick and his buddies were not far behind. Grace yelled out, "Run Billy! Faster!" as she tried to follow. "How did Rick know where Billy was?" she thought to herself.

The Bullies were starting to gain on Billy, who was moving as quickly as he could. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught him so he tried to lose his pursuers. At an intersection, Billy ran into the road, right in the middle of traffic. A red pick up truck came to a screeching halt right in front of Billy as the driver leaned out shouting, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Rick and his bully friends stopped on the corner and smiled at Billy, there was no where to run now.

Just then, the red truck shot forward, as a much larger freight truck slammed into the back of it. The freight truck tipped to the side, and barrels of steaming, bubbling liquid tipped over onto the road.

Right on top of Billy.

# About the Story

There are moments in life that we cherish, small seconds of bliss spent snuggling with our precious children. "Mommy, tell me a story." "Daddy, can I have a bedtime story?" These requests offer time to pause from our hectic everyday routine, a chance to share an adventure together.

My wife and I have read to our son from the time he would listen and encouraged him to read from the moment he began recognizing letters. From "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to "The Chronicles of Narnia" we have read one book or gone through a series of chapters each night.

However, we have discovered that most books are not designed or written for bedtime. Sometimes a chapter takes half an hour to read through. Sometimes one of us would fall asleep part way through, and not necessarily our son! Sometimes, a chapter was too short, or too boring, or so full of detail that it was difficult to get through.

I created this story as a brand new adventure, told in a serial fashion, so that your child is captivated throughout the entire tale. Each Chapter ends in a cliffhanger to help build excitement for the next installment. Whether you are reading before bed, during the day, on a long car trip, or while standing in the grocery checkout line, these stories are quick and customizable for your storytelling needs.

You, of course, are the storyteller and you know best what your audience will most enjoy. If you want to read two or three episodes at a time, then feel free to do so.

If at any point you become tired of simply reading the text as written, feel the need to add lib and insert your own characters or ideas.

Just remember, story time with your children is about having fun and making memories. You are well on your way to making some memories they'll never forget.

Josh Kilen

# Some Storytelling Advice

What is the key ingredient of a good story? It is the conflict and cliffhanger, the elements that add tension and throw our characters into precarious situations. A good story is thrilling, exciting, unpredictable; an adventure. What if we could spark imagination, transporting our child with us to another world?

Imagine the joy on their faces as you tell incredible, reality defying tales, throwing your arms about to emphasize a point or pantomiming an action sequence. Hear their giggles as you craft a ridiculously silly voice for the villain of your story. Create priceless memories and bond with your little ones through the power of shared experience.

Here are some tips to make things easier:

Make noises, sounds, and different voices – Depending on your kid, you might find they remember the sounds more than the story itself.

Don't feel stupid – All that matters is that your kid loves it. If they think you sound awesome, then have faith and overcome your fear.

Make gestures that extend beyond 1 foot from your body - Don't constrain your movements; make the most of your arms and legs.

Make faces - When you are in character, it is definitely okay to make your face reflect the emotions or the actions of the character.

#

# Copyright Information

Tell Me A Story: Amazing Tales to Captivate Your Kids

The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip

Published By Josh Kilen

Copyright © 2011 by Josh Kilen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

# More Titles By Josh Kilen

The Tales of Big and Little: Doom of the Three Stones

Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase

The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight

The Lost Princess: In the Beginning

Or get all 4 stories in one book!
