And on
to chapter 4, which is a short chapter, so this commentary will
necessarily be likewise. Actually, in the original writing, it was
longer as I was cramming for word count in NaNoWriMo. In addition to
the “two things” Robin and Robert also attended a barn dance
(where Robin found another young man to impress with her sword
skills) and there were three or four more events that I can’t
remember.
However,
while editing, my mother pointed out that all of those other items
didn’t actually do anything for the plot, so I chopped them out. I
ended up with a very skinny chapter, but other than that, the book
didn’t suffer.
The
True Nature of Quests
Despite
the fact that fantasy is my genre of choice, I’m not very good at
the filler content that makes quests exciting. I hadn’t planned any
adventures for them until they had met with Rosamond, and since they
weren’t to meet Rosamond until they had been traveling for at least
a week, I opted for the “quests are actually quite boring”
approach. As I read over this opening, I have a feeling that, were I
to rewrite this book, I could actually come up with some interesting
adventures for them, but as it is, I’m content with what I have.
But I
do mention that Robin does find enough young men willing to have
their swords placed in unreachable places, so I suppose she did enjoy
herself.
The
Storyteller
In the original writing of this chapter, I only
mentioned that his story had something to do with the fairies. It
wasn’t until the rewrite that my mother pointed out that this was a
perfect opportunity to plant some backstory and introduce the story
of the Mountain Princess, who would also prove very important to the
story. We also toyed with the idea of having it be Sleeping Beauty,
but since that’s a much better known fairy tale, and I already had
another character tell it later on, we went with the Mountain
Princess.
I know
I’ve mentioned frequently that the Mountain Princess is not
original to me, but is actually my retelling of a lesser-known fairy
tale called “Casperl and the Princess.” (Though some versions
I’ve seen have it shortened to merely “Casperl”) It’s a very
rare fairy tale that, to my knowledge, only exists it maybe three
books, and the only place you can read it online is my blog here.
Of
course, after the story is told, Robin and Robert are naturally going
to ask the man if he has any idea where they might find a fairy
(though I’m not sure they mentioned the reason they are looking for
one), and unfortunately, the story teller has no idea. He just
collects and tells stories, he doesn’t collect archaic knowledge
like that.
The
Change
One
plot device that I enjoy in other books, and naturally included in my
own book, is the capital C Change. Something, in a world’s past,
happened, and because that something happened, everything is
different. Differences so big, you have to have a capital C to
properly convey them.
Bookania’s
Change took place a hundred years before, an interesting number when
you take into consideration that it’s about the same time as when
the Mountain Princess lived according to the Storyteller. There’s a
lot of mystery surrounding this, and if you didn’t live back then,
or if you aren’t interested in that subject, it’s likely you
don’t know about it.
Robin
and Robert certainly don’t.
So I
chose a random old woman to enlighten the twins. They tell her that
they’re looking for a fairy, tell her why, and immediately, her
mind goes back to that long-forgotten time. She doesn’t know why it
happened, or everything that changed, but the name is thrown out
there, and it’s obviously going to be important.
And
then, just before the twins leave, disappointed because they didn’t
find out anything particularly helpful, she adds one more word to
their new vocabularies. Skewwood. Doesn’t really sound that
important, but, who knows?
Favorite
Lines
Robin
and Robert discovered over the next week that adventuring mostly
involved traveling through virtually unchanging countryside. Robin
also discovered that there was a never ending supply of young men who
were ever eager to have their swords lodged in trees or rafters or
whatever else was handy.
“We’re looking for one
in particular,” explained Robin. “She’s our Fairy Godmother,
and she messed up our gifts somewhat.”
“It’s been a long time
since I have seen anyone who had a Fairy Godmother,” the old woman
said. “Not since I was a girl. And they were all princes and
princesses whose birth preceded the Change.”
“The Change?” said
Robin. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“About a hundred years
ago,” the old woman said, “this land was very different, how, I
don’t know, for I was but a wee lass toddling at my father’s
knee. I know that then there were fairies and magical places in the
land, but they all disappeared after the Change.”
“On this one path,
however, there are three challenges. For one to get to the top, and
it is said that he must do it completely on his own, he would have to
first get through the gate. This gate is so heavy, no man can lift
it. Second, they would have to get past a trunk of a tree. This tree
is magic, and it is impossible to get over, under, or around. It is
also impossible to chop through it. At the very top, there is a
dragon. He is solid black, with flaming eyes and breath.
“It is said that only
a true prince will be able to pass these challenges. Many such young
men have tried, but none have succeeded. It is said that she is still
as young of face as when the magician first placed her there, for the
fairy’s magic keeps her so. I have not seen her myself, but I have
spoken with princes and kings who have, in their youth, made the
attempt, and they assure me that she is every bit as beautiful as the
rumors give her credit. But none have succeeded.”
Discussion Questions
1. Do you like a lot of filler content in your fantasy, or do you prefer it to just get to the point and get the adventure over with?
2. What's the rarest fairy tale you know of?
