Types of Gems

Chapter 14!!! Gems!

Just a reminder answering the questions at the bottom of the post will enter you for a chance to win a paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest!

Also, for the duration of the "Five Years of Bookania" party, answering the questions also count towards the Ebook giveaway.

For those of you who haven't had a chance to read Sew yet, it's currently free on Amazon.

But anyway, we're on chapter 14 where we'll be introducing Agatha, who was interviewed today over at TomWildRose's blog. It's a short chapter, rather a filler, but there are some good puns ... I guess.

On the Road again...
Sitting in a castle reading books isn't going to help them find their Fairy Godmother, so now that Robin has "go" on the brain again, it's time for them to leave. They solve their Rosamond problem by having Doranna accompany them. Eric can't blame them for bride snatching if Rosamond is traveling with her own cousin, and Robin and Robert just happen to be in their company.

Magic is Returning
 This is another point where I feel the immaturity of my writing at this time. Telling instead of showing was strong right here. Still, I do love Skewwood forest. (although, quick wonder here, did I ever actually state that this was Skewwood forest???? Eh...). Those trees. Those puns.

Geoma Tree and Faultline
Let's get some puns out of the way before Agatha comes onto the scene. Filler stuff that was supposed to be worldbuilding, and was fun to write, but I have no idea if actually contributed to the story. I don't think it did.

Geoma Tree - clearly a pun for Geometry. A tree that actually grows gems. That are accepted currency. Guess money actually does grow on trees in Bookania. Though ... if something grows on a tree, wouldn't it soon loose value? Eh ... let's leave the philosophy for later.

Faultline - After coming up with the Punchline, I wanted to make a pun on every line in existence. You'll be seeing the Assembly Line later in the book, and the sideline never made it in, but I did enjoy the faultline. Ah, good times blaming each other for tripping.

Still, filler chapters are the bane of my existence. I could have spent this time character building for Casperl! Maybe. I dunno.

More Thieves! Another Girl to Rescue!
I don't state how large this group of thieves is, but Casperl helps Robin take care of them this time. Again, I'd like to state that Robin wouldn't have killed any of them, though I don't know that I can say the same about Casperl. He was raised very differently, rather than her sheltered life in a palace, he had to survive on his own in the woods, where there are wolves, possibly bandits ...

Anyway, they rescue the girl with minimal description. I find it interesting that I have to make a note that they only bothered to rescue her at the pleas from Rosamond and Doranna. That will probably leave when I do edits, because I've since learned that Robin's code of chivalry that comes with being the best swordsman in the world wouldn't have allowed her to see a damsel in distress without offering her aid.

The Girl
The girl doesn't seem interested in talking, or in the bag of money that they find. Doranna and Rosamond seem to have a suspicion - a suspicion that seems to have something to do with Yifinna (one of the fairies, if you'll remember, and the one known to make mistakes), but they immediately dismiss.

Robin starts throwing theories, each worse than the one before it. One of them, the no-tongue theory and Rosamond's immediate dismissal (although I have no idea when Rosamond might have someone who didn't have a tongue), was inspired by the fact that I had just read the Roman Mysteries where one of the four protagonists, Lupas, didn't have a tongue.

At last, Robert remarks that he's never seen anything like this, to which Rosamond answers that they have.

Amy
Seems that they had a childhood friend named Amy. (Not a fiend, though, Doranna) Due to having a kind heart, Yifinna had blessed with gems falling from her mouth every time she spoke. Not the most practical of gifts, but one that Yifinna had seemed to like since this was the fifth girl to have received such a gift, the first two being Rosamond's and Doranna's own mothers.

And then they realize something - Yifinna had only promised to wait another hundred years before giving the gift out again, and it had been a hundred years. So they ask the girl for confirmation and, yep, she's a victim of the fairy's goodwill.

Party of Misfits
And this sparks a comment on how strange everyone in the party is and the fact that Casperl is the most normal among them. This was supposed to spark a comment about nutshells, which would lead to the reference to a fairy tale for Rosamond and Doranna's shared grandmother.

But that didn't happen.

Sign Language!
Fun fact about my family. We love sign language. My sister's rather fluent in it. (Embarrassed me at an Isaac's concert once because of it.) When I wrote Sew, we were at the height of our sign-language enthusiasm, and of course I'm going to throw that in when I have a character for whom speech is awkward.

Also, it keeps inflation down.

Favorite Lines:

That night, as they were setting up camp, Robin tripped. “Robert!” she exclaimed, “Why’d you do that!”

“Do what?” Robert asked.

“Trip me!”

“Uh, I don’t think I did that,” he said, confused, “I’m kind of over here, and you’re kind of over there.”

“Well it must have been one of you,” Robin exclaimed, whirling on the other three, she had gotten back on her feet by this point.

“I don’t think I did,” said Casperl, “In fact, no one was by you when you fell.”

Rosamond and Doranna started laughing. “Faultline,” they said together.

As they sat down to eat, Robin started making up stories, trying to figure out what, exactly, was the reason for the girls silence.

“Maybe she’s an escaped prisoner,” she suggested, “who had her tongue removed for some devious crime.”

“Look at the way she eats,” Rosamond cautioned, “People who have not tongues eat very differently.”

“Okay…” said Robin with a roll of her eyes, “Maybe she was mute from birth, and ran away from someone after stealing their jewels, that would explain why she doesn’t want to associate with them.”

“Then why did she admit that they were hers?” asked Doranna. “If I had stolen gems, and were to be in the situation she’s in, I wouldst have made it out that the gems had been stolen by the bees.”

On and on the theories went, and each were disproved.

 “Back when we were much younger,” said Doranna, “One of our best fiends wast a girl named Amy. Amy had been born a pheasant, and her stepmother and stepsister had treated her cruelly. Rosamond, thou must tell it, thou art the better starry feller.

Discussion Questions!!

1. How are you on writing filler? Fail like me?

2. Quick! Tell me a pun and make me laugh!

3. Any favorite lines?

True Stories

Annnd ... now it's time for chapter 13. Which means we're now half-way through the book. *Throws confetti*

Just a reminder answering the questions at the bottom of the post will enter you for a chance to win a paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest!



Now, onto the chapter. While 13 isn't my favorite, and certainly has its fair share of awkward lines, it's one that I looked forward to writing from the moment I realized that Robin and Robert were the protagonists of the story - the chapter which I describe as Sew's Mid-goal, the chapter where I finally answer questions.

Still at Doranna's
I'd like to note again that it isn't Robert who gets them moving again - it's Robin. So long as she's content with where she is, far be it from him to suggest she resume travel.

And I like the off-handed way Robin makes this remark, like she was completely unaware of the passing of time until this moment ... which is probably true. I'm not sure what she found to do these two weeks to absorb her time so, but she clearly found something. Maybe she was counting fish on the wall of her bedroom.

Eric's Wedding
Dun, dun, dun!

I find it amusing that Robert chose this as the key point that they didn't need to be late for, but oh, well, it advances the plot because Doranna doesn't know who Eric is! And since Doranna doesn't know who Eric is, it'll mean that she'll ask questions, and if she asks questions, secrets will spill!

Ah, I was such a genius writer back in the day.

And the Secret's Out
I'm sure you guys are all wondering why it took R&R so long to figure things out, but now they finally know: Doranna's the Mountain Princess! Poor girl, trapped on a mountain for a hundred years. It's a wonder that she didn't go insane.

Of course, there are more details on this matter in the short story, Woodcutter Quince.

And, would you believe it, but it was this spell that was responsible for the Change. How exciting!

Ah, I love this chapter.

Also, a note on Robin right here. I had initially written her to be more believing in this scenes, and this conversation to flow seamlessly into Rosamond's own confession (see the next page). But then, for plot reasons later on, I decided that I didn't want her to know Rosamond's secret, so I swapped around some dialogue tags and viola! We had a disbelieving Robin on our hands. It was so awesome!

(Looking back five years later, I really have to hand it to myself.)

Robert ain't Convinced Either
Or, rather, he's not convinced that Rosamond and Doranna are telling the whole truth.

He doesn't bring it up immediately, however, and chooses instead to confront Rosamond privately. She's reluctant to admit the truth, and Robert ends up spelling it out for her.

She's the Sleeping Beauty.

She's Eric's runaway bride.

Who saw that plot twist coming?

A Note on Auroren
Also, she's the princess for whom Auroren was named. Some people who have read Do You Take This Quest? will rememeber that Maxie had been engaged to Shira. So why did he name the sword to another girl? Ah, well, I provided a in-book answer in My Kingdom for a Quest, but here's the real truth:

I didn't know about Maxie and Shira until after I published Sew, it's a Quest. While writing Sew, the backstory had been that he was in love with Rosamond, but because Rosamond had a curse, her parents refused to allow her to become engaged until after the time limit was up. You know, just in case. While writing, I had had every intention of making this clear ... but I wasn't a bold enough writer at the time, so all my planned revelations (Including, but not limited to, a Madeleine painting of Maxie and Rosamond) never happened.

Then Shira barged in and claimed Maxie, which left me scrambling to rearrange backstory, even though Arthur saved the plot of Do You Take This Quest?. Sigh. To be honest, I think there was a part of Maxie that liked Rosamond, and they probably would have ended up together if it weren't for Shira and Rosamond's curse.

Ah, but it all turned out all right in the end.

What to Do?

Locksley and Winthrop don't have the best of relations, after all, and now Robert and Robin have been adventuring with the Eric's would-be bride. If that doesn't look suspicious, I don't know what does.

Favorite Lines: 

 “Well,” said Robert, “we need to be leaving now, or we’ll miss Eric’s wedding.” He gave his twin a meaningful look. Robin shot him a glare.

“Eric?” Doranna said, “Who doth that be?”

“The most pompous, insufferable prince in Bookania,” said Robin with a roll of her eyes.

“He also happens to be Peter and Dylana’s great-grandson,” added Rosamond helpfully.

 “You’re the Mountain Princess!” Robin interrupted, her face clear with disbelief.

“I am not sure what though dost lean,” said Doranna with a slightly confused look on her face.

“That doth be the name you acquired whilst thou wast at the top of thy mountain,” said Rosamond.

“Oh,” said Doranna, “in that chase, yes I am.”

“And Casperl got past all that?” said Robin, giving an unconvinced look.

“He did, only a few days before I met you, too,” Doranna answered.

“How?” Robin asked, stupefied.

 “And Casperl didn’t rescue Doranna until after we met you,” continued Robert. Rosamond just stared at him, caught. He continued, “Which means you weren’t here.” She sighed, and looked away. “How then were the years so kind to you? How did they leave you so beautiful?” She sighed again. There was a story, but she didn’t seem to want to tell it to him. “Don’t you trust me?”

 “Now this is really going to improve our affairs with the Winthrops,” said Robert with a shake of his head.

“Is it?” asked Rosamond, brightening, “or art thou being sarcastic? Thy sister is right, I understand it not.”

“It’s sarcasm,” confirmed Robert.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you see these plot twists coming?

2. For those of you who have read Woodcutter Quince, what do you think of that story?

3. Any favorite lines?

The Royal Ball

And now it's time for Chapter 12! Take out your copies of Sew, It's a Quest, and we'll begin!

Don't forget that answering the questions at the end of the post can win you a free paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest. 

Also, I have a goodread's group set up for fans of Bookania, and over there, I'm asking for questions for me and my characters to be answered here on my blog. (Though if you aren't on goodreads, you can email them to me, but it's not quite as fun. Honestly, I'm not sure why any book-loving body wouldn't be on goodreads. It's like Facebook, but with books instead of politics.)

 Anyway, the commentary.

Still at Doranna's Castle
This chapter was one of the last to be written, being one of the ones that I skipped over during NaNo. I knew it was something that I needed to write, that it was important to the story, but I just didn't feel like writing it during NaNo.

One reviewer has brought up the fact that despite the urgency of Robin and Robert's quest, they seem to do very little travelling. There are ... two reasons for that. One is the fact that I needed to cover four month's time, and actually had very little planned *cough, cough,* and the other is the fact that Robert would much prefer to NOT be travelling, so if his sister seems to be happy staying in one place at any given time, far be it from him to remind her that they have to keep moving.

The Ball
I'm not sure this is the most logical reason to have a ball. But ... I needed a second dance for character/romance development, so I tossed this one in.


Anyway. We have a ball, and while Rosamond dances with servants and Doranna dances with Casperl, Robert watches wistfully (Poor boy), and Robin is completely bored. Notice once again she is in a dress, but her main complaint is that it's in conjunction with a ball.

Of course Doranna notice the wistful Robert and strongly suggests that he get over his shyness and ask Rosamond.

A confused Robin
Meanwhile, Robin is still bored. Possibly contemplating how welcome it would be if she were to get her sword and make things interesting, and wishing that there was a curtain to hide behind.

She's clearly not paying attention to the dance floor, as she's quite surprised when Rosamond comes by to praise her brother's dancing skill. But before she can ask questions, Rosamond has danced away. Doranna, fortunately, comes to Robin's rescue with her confusing explanations.

More Gills
It seems that one of Rosamond's gifts is dancing - and it's not the mysterious Sayenda's. This is a new fairy: Drayana.

Side note here: I said in a previous chapter that the slippers were more significant than I managed to reveal in the book, and now's the time where I can say why and how. Readers of Take know that Drayana likes to give out physical companions to her gifts, and Rosamond is no exception. That particular pair of slippers will never wear out, will always fit perfectly, and will always match whatever she's wearing perfectly. Side note over.

And while Robin is spluttering over the fact that Rosamond has four Fairy Godmothers, Doranna admits to a third for herself - Kriasta, who's to blame for her constant and courageous laughter.

And while we're talking about fairies, I'm going to make another side note. In a previous chapter, Rosamond confirms that there are seven good fairies, and I actually have all seven fairly well developed to one degree or another (Yifinna, Sayenda, and Fallona are the best, but that's another story). However, during the final stages of editing the book, I realized that, while there had been a complete list in one draft, I didn't even know if I had included every fairy here in Sew. So I did a quick search, to find that yes, indeed, I had! It was such a brilliant moment of relief.

So, the fairies in their proper order and where they're first mentioned:
Fallona the red: R&R's Fairy Godmother.
Malina the orange: Doranna's Fairy Godmother
Drayana the yellow: Rosamond's Fairy Godmother
Lufawna the green: The fairy that Sir Hugh met
Yifinna the blue: The fairy who makes mistakes
Kriasta the indigo: Doranna's Fairy Godmother
Sayenda the purple: Rosamond's Fairy Godmother.

I also manage to reveal the name of one of the fallen fairies ... but later on. There's a second, but I don't think her name has been mentioned yet ...

Favourite Quotes:

“My brother?” she said, to herself, since Rosamond was gone. “Robert? A good dancer?”

She heard Doranna’s laughter, and turned. “Aye,” said Doranna, “It seems as though thy bother hath discovered an hidden talon. Or else it may just be Rosamond sharing again. She does that, and relives it not.”

“I’m not following,” said Robin.

“Worms,” said Doranna. “They are so exacting. I like numbers far better.”

“Are you joking?” asked Robert, “She’s too good.”

“I know,” said Doranna, her eyes twinkling mischievously, “That is why thou shouldst ask her. To keep her from having to prance with the serpents.”

“The servants are better than I am,” said Robert.

“Ask my cousin,” said Doranna. “Thou mayest find thyself survived at thy own skill.”

“I know my own skill,” said Robert. “I’m a terrible dancer.”

“So have claimed many,” said Doranna, she laughed her bird-like laugh. “So have claimed many. Frankly, I think not that she wouldst mind an inferior partner.”

Discussion Questions:
1. Can you dance?
2. What do you think of this rapidly lengthening list of Fairy Godmothers for Rosamond?
3. Are you excited for Kingdom's release tomorrow?

A Ride in the Forest

And now it's time for Chapter 11!

Don't forget that answering the questions at the end of the post can win you a free paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest. Also, I'm holding a Blog Tour from February 14-21, and you can sign up your blog by clicking the appropriate tag at the top of the page.

Also, I have a goodread's group set up for fans of Bookania, and over there, I'm asking for questions for me and my characters to be answered here on my blog. (Though if you aren't on goodreads, you can email them to me, but it's not quite as fun. Honestly, I'm not sure why any book-loving body wouldn't be on goodreads. It's like Facebook, but with books instead of politics.)

 Anyways, the commentary.

Interruption 
This one seems quite typical of a fairy tale. I wonder how this girl will be rewarded ...

Madeleine in the Forest
And now we have finally come to the chapter where Madeleine is, at long last, found! Or, something like that. Robin wakes  up (I wonder how late in the morning) to see herself painted on the wall.

At least, it looks like her. 

Climbing out of bed to investigate, Robin realizes that the painted girl has lighter hair than she does, and blue eyes besides. It's Madeleine, she quickly realizes. Madeleine had painted herself into the mural.

And, then out in the sitting room, she notices that the girl painting the optical illusion is also Madeleine. Intriguing, and this is clearly the reason why Doranna said they looked like Locksleys - she looks a lot like her long-lost aunt.

Books and Pants
Two more things I'd like to note before we move on to the library. First of all: Robin is given pants this morning. I'm not exactly sure how they had them on hand (perhaps they made them for her). I had a reason when I wrote this scene, but it never came out during the scenes where it would have been necessary, and it now conflicts with what I now know of the cast and world.

They're still very old fashioned.

And second: The books. Apparently, this Skewwood forest (if only they knew where to find it!) had been a hot spot for fairies.

In the Library
Robin eventually gets frustrated with the books, and wanders away to the library where she finds a lot of books about math and birds. And then she finds a collection of short stories and decides to try it.

As she sits down to read it, Doranna and Rosamond enter, declare it a good book, and ask her if she's had banana peels (breakfast). I also let Doranna call her Wren. This was supposed to be important later in the book ... but it didn't happen. 

And so she's reading along while she waits for her banana peels to arrive, really enjoying the story, and then she comes to the end. And a thick black line.

Punch Line
I'm proud of this scene. You see, it was the first pun to make its way into the Bookania - even though the bag cat got screen time first. I'd already decided to change the title to Sew, It's a Quest, and with puns on my mind, I'd been folding laundry, and the idea popped into my head. It was so brilliant that I had to run and tell my mother at once.

My sister loved it, and wanted to steal it for one of her books (at the time she was attempting a story about a pair of siblings whose father was an inventor, and he managed to invent a time machine that sent them back to King Arthur ... she never finished it), but I put my foot down and told her it was mine, all mine, and she could go find her own great ideas.

And that, folks, is how puns got into Bookania.

And then they get invited on a ride through the forest.

Horses
First of all - Doranna's horse's name. I just love all of the names I gave the horses in this book, but Doranna's horse does hold a place in the mathematical part of my heart. (Just as Snow holds a place in the contrary part) Supplementary. I think you guys may be intrigued to note that the horse that Casperl rides in later chapters is named Complementary ... even though I never got around to stating it in the text.

(And in the next book, you learn that Eric's horse is named Champion, and Madeleine's is Splatter, and later in this book you meet a horse named Cocoa. Is it possible to name a horse in Bookania without it starting with a C or an S? I'm honestly not sure.)

Gills - I mean Gifts
Yes, I make fun of Doranna's speech whenever possible. One of the benefits of being the author and suffering from the same affliction.

Anyways, the conversation turns to gifts and fairies, and we learn some interesting things, such as:

1. The side affect of a gift is weaknesses in other areas.
2. That's why Doranna can't keep her words straight.
3. Rosamond has a terrible sense of direction as a result.
4. The fairy who gave Doranna math-smarts is named Malina.
5. There is a very sad story associated with Malina.
6. Doranna has invited them to a ball.

They Rode along the Path ...
This was a line that was edited out in the rewrite. You see, halfway through this conversation (though I don't remember exactly where), I hit a brick wall and couldn't figure out where I was going ... and so I just wrote that ... and stared at my blinking cursor for about an hour.

I knew where I wanted to go, I just didn't know how to go.

And I was doing NaNo. I had to keep up with my word goal!

So my mother had a brilliant suggestion. She told me to skip forward to where I was inspired. So that's what I did. I skipped over the rest of this chapter, over the whole ball scene (which was important for reasons I'll discus in my next commentary post, but I simply had no clue as to how to write) and to what is now chapter 13. I think I had a vague idea for another chapter in there, but it didn't happen.

This was my first experience with the leave a note and skip forward technique.

I did later come back and finish this chapter during NaNo when I hit a road block later on. However chapter twelve waited until after NaNo was finished to get written.

Madeleine's Signature
Once the whole ball and gift issue is sorted out, Robin steers the conversation back to Madeleine and asks why she pained herself in two of her murals - and learns that she was actually in all three!

It's her signature. An interesting one, to be certain.

Favorite Quotes

“Oh, that brook,” said Doranna, “’Fairly Funny Short Stories’ a favorite among many. I hope that thou dost enjoy it. Hast thou had banana peels yet?”

Robin looked up quizzically at the two girls. “Breakfast,” Rosamond whispered.

“Uh, no, actually,” answered Robin, “I was wondering where it was served.”

“No matter,” said Doranna, and pulled a cord near the door. When a young boy answered, she said, “Banana peels for our fiend, Princess Wren.”

“Thou getteth the lime punch,” the girl exclaimed gleefully. Robin looked up to see that both of the girls were regarding her with quite amused looks on their faces.

“The what?” Robin asked, as soon as she could move her jaw to speak. At least the pain wore off fast.

“The punch line,” said Rosamond. “It showeth thee when thou understandeth what is funny about a story or joke. They can be quite painful if thou getteth it very well, as thou apparently did.”

“You didn’t tell me that the books in here were dangerous!” Robin exclaimed, the pain now completely gone.

“A ball,” said Robin, crinkling her nose, “You mean like the type you dance at?”

“But of course!” said Doranna. “Thou dost not think we mean the type you ring in towers, do ye not?”

Robin rolled her eyes. “You don’t ring balls. You ring bells.”

“Is that not what I just said?” said Doranna, “We’re having a bell.”

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think they managed to have pants for Robin (I'm frankly a bit stumped on this one)?

2. Have you ever had to skip over a section of your writing (I call it Margaret Mitchelling)?

3. What would you name a horse?

4. Any favorite lines?

The Murals

And now it's time for Chapter 10!

Don't forget that answering the questions at the end of the post can win you a free paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest. Also, I'm holding a Blog Tour from February 14-21, and you can sign up your blog by clicking the appropriate tag at the top of the page.

It's going to be tons of fun, and so far all of my beta readers are telling me that Kingdom is a great book. Lovers of Bookania, you aren't going to want to miss it. Anyways, the commentary.

The Artist
I like this snippet of conversation between Robin and Robert at the beginning of this chapter, since it reminds me of me and my mom. He's mostly ignoring her, but she knows exactly what to say to get his full attention. He's as intrigued as she is by the mystery aunt, and she has a clue about her.

She doesn't pound him for his attention, just states her fact as enticingly as she can, and then starts reading. He starts picking up the books and preparing to move. She didn't have to tell him that she wanted to show him the painting, he knew.

Robert Runs into the Wall.
This chapter is just amazing at displaying the sibling relationship between the two of them. Sure, Robin could have warned Robert about where the wall was, but why deny her brother the same pain she endured?

Yeah, I would do this with my own siblings in a heartbeat. Also, I'm the author, and as all people know, authors enjoy inflicting pain on their characters, so Robin and I were quite in agreement on this.

Robert would run into the wall.

Paintings at Locksley
And while Robert is nursing his sore nose, he remarks that the painting is almost as good as a painting he's seen before. Robin naturally has to ask questions about this painting.

And he confirms that yes, there are paintings under the tapestries at home. But there still aren't any answers about why the murals are behind the tapestries. And ... truth be told, you readers don't get a completely straight answer about this until nearly the end of book 3. Sorry about that.

Tea
After perusing the books for some time, they are summoned back to the library, where Rosamond extends an invitation to tea. Apparently, that's what she calls supper - yet another display of her strange speech. Seriously, what is up with it?

And then after tea, they bring up the murals again. Doranna is confused by the fact that they know nothing about them (after all, they're from Locksley, and Madeleine was from Locksley), but Rosamond just shakes her head and reveals that their great-grandfather had known the cause of the Change. That he was the sole survivor.

And then Doranna tells her to change the subject to something happier.

Favorite Lines:

Robert shut his book and began stacking the books up.

“What are you doing?” Robin asked, glancing up, secretly pleased.

“Well,” said Robert. “There’s no time like the present. We can study these books just as well in your room as in here. Besides, it will give those lovebirds some more room.”

 Robin stifled a giggle as she glanced at Doranna and Casperl, who were examining one of her new math books, so close to each other, their heads were almost touching. She was explaining some mathematical concept. He looked quite moonstruck.

“Agreed,” Robin said.

“Oh, the wall over there is a lot closer than it looks,” Robin warned, just as he ran into it, full force.

“You could have warned me just a little sooner,” said Robert, rubbing his bruised nose.

“But that wouldn’t have been as much fun,” said Robin, pulling on her innocent face.

“Oh, lighten up, Briar Rose,” Doranna said. “Thou art hiding from painful memorials thyself.”

“I know,” answered Rosamond. “so let us get off of such a sad subject.”

“Oh, yes,” agreed Doranna, “Before thou dost write another sad pond.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What is it with authors and causing pain to characters?

2. What are/were your guesses about the Change at this point?

3. Any favorite lines?

Castle Tour

And now it's time for Chapter 9!

Don't forget that answering the questions at the end of the post can win you a free paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest and all that if you've written a review for Sew, It's a Quest and Do You Take This Quest? you're eligible to beta read the book. The deadline to have your reviews will be Christmas day (consider them your Christmas present to me, and I'll consider early reading my present to you). You can also sign up for Kingdom's cover reveal by clicking on the new tab at the top of the page.

The Mural
Robin is shown to a room where a girl stands in a corner still working on the painting. Which is odd since usually you don't show a princess to a room that's still being painted. Robin doesn't consider the oddness of it, but she does walk up to the girl to ask when the painting will be done.

And runs into the wall.

Okay ... obviously the girl is part of the painting. How interesting. And then the servant that had accompanied her tells her something. The artist was none other than Madeleine, the mysterious, missing aunt. What's more, apparently Locksley castle also contains many such paintings. Robin has never seen them, but then, she's never actually seen the walls. They're covered in tapestries.

The room set up for the bath is painted as an underwater scene.

Old Clothing
Robin had noted in the previous chapter that Doranna's dress was rather old fashioned, and now she herself is presented with an old fashioned dress. What's up with that. Combined with the fact that everyone uses old-fashioned speech, which had previously been a novelty only to Rosamond, it presents a rather interesting enigma.

And one more thing, before we move on. Robin is given a dress here, and she puts it on. A lot of people take issue with her because she refuses to wear dresses. But she doesn't refuse here - and she could have easily gone to her bag and pulled out one of her own outfits, I'm sure. Robin doesn't like dresses, that's a given fact, and she does complain when there's someone to complain to, but she will wear them - as long as she doesn't think that she's going to get into a swordfight, when dresses are impractical. Her main issue with them is the fact that she considers their main use to be dancing, and she can't dance.

Bag Cat
She then goes to the library, where she finds Rosamond and Doranna, who warn her that one of servants let out a bag cat the other day. Robin is clearly skeptical, but at that moment, Robert appears, and he plays along ...

And is dressed even more ridiculously than Robin, complete with hose and a feather in his hat. Oh, my but the mental image!

The whole party gathered again, they begin a lore, so they don't get toast ...

I mean, a tour, so they don'g get lost.

Doranna!

It's interesting that the tour was originally just for Rosamond. She speaks as though she's been to this castle before. Her cousin lives here. She should know it, right?

The tour is proceeding nicely when the fabled bag cat leaps out of nowhere, and some servants appear to deal with the thing, forcing it back into a burlap sack. Interesting. So it wasn't as made-up as Robin had thought.

I keep meaning to work the bag cat back into the series, but it hasn't happened yet, despite having had some perfect opportunities. I just haven't had a situation where it felt right.

Music Room
That nasty creature dealt with, they go to the music room where Rosamond had left her bungalow - banjo - behind the last time she'd visited. Doranna convinces her to play this instrument, and then the flute - on which Rosamond plays the song she'd composed about Doranna going missing. They don't seem to want to talk about it, but apparently it has something to do with Doranna turning down a suitor who was no true quince. Who knows what that means.

Rosamond's method of playing an instrument is interesting, as she always holds it a few moments before she begins to play. This is because it's her gift. She has never learned how to play any instrument, but has always magically known how to play any instrument she picks up. Quite frustrating for someone who enjoys learning.

Doranna begs Rosamond to play more, but she declines. When Robin glances at the grandfather clock, they've been listening for over an hour, and they hadn't even realized it! This is another facet of Rosamond's gifts, though I can't say which one at the moment.

Also, grandfather clock. One of the things my Grandma pointed out when she edited the book for me was the fact that the technology and other details aren't exactly consistent. This is on purpose. Bookania draws from many fairy tales, from many eras. It's predominately medieval, and they don't have forks, but if I want to throw in a grandfather clock, that's my prerogative. I have King Arthur learning archery at Robin Hood's camp for crying out loud. If that isn't mixing eras, I don't know what is.

Aviary
The next room I deemed worth mentioning is the aviary, where we discover the nature of one of Doranna's gifts - the ability to literally sing like a bird. Robert asks if she's actually talking to them and she just laughs. The reason? I hadn't decided yet if she could actually understand them or not. In fact, I was honestly leaning towards not. At the time, my plan had been for her to become Snow White's mother (and thus die, wasn't looking forward to that, honest!) and Snow White was going to get the same gifts as her mother, but exaggerated even further.

Then I decided that I wanted different children for Doranna, and that another couple would make much better parents for Snow, so that plot twist was no longer necessary. And at the same time, I was working on the first attempt at "Woodcutter Quince" and I decided that it'd be fun if she could have some sort of communication with the world below, so she gained the ability to talk to the birds.

But at the time, I hadn't decided yet, so I left it ambiguous. I'm glad I did.

Doranna truly has a rather exotic aviary, complete with a flamingo, a penguin, and a chicken that lays golden eggs. I had to include the penguin, since it's my sister's favorite animal.

This is actually one of two scenes in the book that is illustrated, and the better done if I do say so myself.

Back in the Library
Nothing left to see that's important - besides Doranna's father, who is, for some reason, surprised to see Rosamond - they head back to the library, where a package has arrived for Doranna. Math books, much to Doranna's delight.

Well, Rosamond did say that the girl loved math, didn't she?

Casperl
And now we introduce Doranna's fiance, Casperl, who's on the run from a persistent fencing instructor. In the first draft, he'd merely walked into the library. The whole sneaking business was my mom's fault, but it's funny. And it made for an adorable bit a dialogue between them. I regret that I haven't had very many Doranna/Casperl scenes. That shall have to be rectified. That dismantled line is one of my favorites, though.

Doranna introduces them, and Robin comments that she doesn't know any princes by that name - and as a princess herself, and the victim of many suitors, she probably does know the name of most. She didn't know about Doranna or Rosamond, but they're princesses, so I suppose that's different.

Doranna just laughs, which is her signature action (Robin's is rolling her eyes, by the way) and informs them that he used to be a woodchopper.

Interesting. The last interruption involves a woodchopper who was declared a prince.

I'm not sure what Robin thinks of this explanation, but she's apparently satisfied, for she immediately launches into the question of how to find a fairy.

Favorite Quotes:

  Robin followed the old woman servant to the room that Doranna said she would stay in. On stepping into it, Robin had to gasp. For all the world, it looked as if she had stepped into a forest. As she looked around, she saw that it was actually a really good mural, and that it wasn’t finished. In fact, a girl with dark blond hair was still working on the wall…only she wasn’t moving.

   Robin went up to her, and ran into a wall. The girl was part of the painting as well!

   “And there thou art,” said Doranna. “Come, I wast about to give Rosamond a lore, for we have changed things a small bit since she wast last here, and it would be good for the two of you to come along, for it would not be good to have the two of you getting toast.”

    Robin and Robert exchanged a confused look. What was wrong with them having toast? And how do you give a lore?

   “Doranna!” he exclaimed, “What are you doing in here? I didn’t think you even knew you had a library!”

   “I forget somewhere,” said Doranna, “But I got in a whole shipmen of math brooks today. I can wait not to try them.” Her expression became concerned. “What art thou doing in here, and why didst thou appear to be peeking in? Doth somehow be after thee?”

   “Uh, no, dear Princess,” said the young man, “I am merely avoiding a very persistent fencing instructor.”

   “Does piecing not suit thee?” asked Doranna.

   “Uh,” said the young man, “no.”

   “Then I wilt have him dismantled, ” said Doranna, with a toss of her head. “What does suit thee, dear Casperl?”

   “I would like to just read,” said Casperl, his gaze sweeping the library. “There is so much knowledge here that I have never been able to access before. And even more, I would like you at my side, while you work on your new math books.”

   “I wouldst like that too,” said Doranna.

   “You mean you’re not displeased?” said Casperl. “Even though you had your heart set on me learning how to fence.”

   “It wast a mere projection,” said Doranna, with her birdlike laugh. “I thought that it wast thy wish. Reading it is. Perhaps thou wouldst like also to visit my drawing broom where I have all my chalkboards set up.”

   “I’d like that,” agreed Casperl.

Discussion Questions:
1. What do you make of all the secrets that seem to be piling up and not making sense?
2. Have you ever left something ambiguous in your writing because you weren't sure which way you wanted to go with it?
3. Did you catch the penguin? (I ask this because I have a friend who grew up in England, and she thought it was a puffin.)

A Cousin

And now it's time for Chapter 8!

Don't forget that answering the questions at the end of the post can win you a free paperback copy of My Kingdom for a Quest and all that if you've written a review for Sew, It's a Quest and Do You Take This Quest? you're eligible to beta read the book. The deadline to have your reviews will be Christmas day (consider them your Christmas present to me, and I'll consider early reading my present to you). You can also sign up for Kingdom's cover reveal by clicking on the new tab at the top of the page.

On another note, one of my fellow authors is doing one of these on her blog this month for her book King's Warrior. I highly recommend checking it out. Link here.

Now hold on tight while I introduce one of my favorite major characters.

No Inn.
This is fitting, considering we've entered the Christmas season. Up to the point, Robin and Robert's nightly stops have always fallen within a village with somewhere respectable to lay their heads. But now, for the first time, night falls and they're in the middle of nowhere. They don't even have a stable to sleep in.

Robin seems to be a bit annoyed with the situation, but Rosamond clearly intends to make the best of it. This amuses me, considering the bit about the mollycoddled princess a few chapters back.

Sarcasm and Swords
This leads into an interesting conversation that I still find amusing. (Surprise, surprise! No, actually, these are some good lines). First of all, Rosamond apparently doesn't get sarcasm. (I never explain why in the book, but I do have a reason), and secondly, she alludes to another bit of Locksley history that Robin had previously been clueless about.

This time about Great-grandfather's sword. Apparently, he was immune to magic and wanted a non-magical sword. But during that era, you couldn't find non-magical swords, so a girl of his acquaintance suggested that he ask that his sword have the magic of song. He liked the idea so much that he named the sword after her.

This is interesting, since in the first draft, the story was a bit different. You see, in that draft, the sword was completely unenchanted, and he'd named it for her merely because he liked her. However, when rewriting chapter two, I realized that it had the magic of song (based on the way mother was rewording something) and I liked that twist better. And I'm glad I made the change, since as readers of Take know ... he was engaged to another girl at that point (a plot twist that snuck up on me after this book was published, may I point out), and this would have been rather awkward.

As it is, it's only mildly awkward to name your sword after another girl when you're engaged. But ... it will be explained in book three. And you'll get to hear the words to the song the sword sings. I like the song. I wrote it on a box of Six-flags coupons while working in drive-through this summer. I can't wait to share it with you.

Anyways. Robin seems a bit upset to hear that the song wasn't just her, but Rosamond clarifies. It only sings in recognition of it's true owner. Robin seems to like that one.

Sleepless Princess
Then they do the sensible thing and set up watches for the night. Robin doesn't seem thrilled with Rosamond joining in, but the girl insists. And then Robin wakes up horrified to find that it's morning and she completely missed her watch, thanks to Rosamond. Instant panic, and I'm quite certain that images of stolen horses are going through her mind. (Considering recent events.)

But Rosamond is still awake. Horses are still fine. Apparently, the girl doesn't sleep much.

Of course, questions shall be asked, and ... Rosamond admits to a third Fairy Godmother. A Sayenda this time, whose gift is a mystery, but it seems to have something to do with sleeping. This girl certainly has her secrets, much to Robin's frustration.

And you know, I rather identify with Robin here, since I don't like secrets either. As the author, I do know what Rosamond's hiding, but still ...

Skewwood and a Cousin
And Rosamond pulls her famous trick of changing the subject. Breakfast.

However, as they approach Sherwood forest, Rosamond remarks that it reminds her of another forest - Skewwood (And here readers should perk up - we've heard that before! In fact, Robert makes that comment ... but can't remember where he heard it) where her cousin lived.

"Lived?" Robin repeats, noting the past tense.

And for once, Rosamond doesn't evade a topic. They don't know what happened to this cousin, but her and her castle just vanished one day. And Rosamond wrote a song about her.

I did not write this song on a box of coupons at McDonalds. I wrote it on my Win95 laptop during my first NaNo four years ago. If I remember right, I was sitting on the stairs to my parents bedroom (because they're one of my favorite places to sit in the house.)

The song finished, Rosamond admits that her cousin wouldn't have liked it. She loved happy things, was always smiling, and loved math.

Into the Woods
Silence again as they enter the woods ... just as another party exits. Robin and Robert don't really pay attention to them, but a minute or so later ... they realize that Rosamond is no longer following them.

Um. Well, considering the way she had originally appeared out of nowhere, this doesn't sound too unusual for her, but ... it's always best to go and look for the girls you agreed to keep an eye out for. So Robin and Robert turn around and retrace their steps, find a path they'd overlooked earlier, and follow it, where they find the party they'd passed earlier, Rosamond, and a girl who looks just like her.

The disappearing cousin she'd mentioned earlier.

Doranna
Everyone's favorite character, she holds a soft place in my heart too, and her name is a catchphrase in our family. I frankly have no idea where I got the name. She came with it, but I suspect it has something to do with the fairy tale "Dorani" which is one of my favorites and is completely different from Doranna's. It's interesting, but Rosamond seems to have relaxed considerably in her presence.

After introductions are made, Doranna instantly remarks that the twins certainly look like Locksleys, and Rosamond instantly informs her of the twins' quest, which is interesting. Robin and Robert had been so hesitant about telling her, so why does she just out and tell Doranna? However, Doranna takes it as a matter of course, compares them to Samson and Shira, and then whistles like a whippoorwill.

Doranna invites them to her "tassel" in order to use her library. they accept.

Robin wonders why the castle wasn't on Sir Hugh's map. But, then, Rosamond had mentioned that her cousin and her castle had disappeared.

Bungalow
Once inside, Doranna asks Rosamond if she'd play her bungalow, which Rosamond had left during her last visit. Of course that raises questions. You don't play bungalows, you live in them.

Doranna seems annoyed when Robin brings it up, launching into a string of numbers. If I remember right, this string is the square root of five ... though seven is also possible ... let me go consult my calculator ... It's five.

Yes, every time Doranna launches into a number like that in Sew, It's a Quest, it's a square root. Can you guess what I'd been studying recently?

This girl is clearly smart, but her smarts are not in the linguistic area. And that's one of the things people like about her. Her flaws and strengths are counter-balanced to each other. Just wait until I introduce the linguistic character who can't count past ten without taking off her shoes. (And then she can only get to twenty.)

As I said before, her name is a catchphrase in my family. Many of us have an inability to say what we mean (and we're good at math ... interesting). For instance, my mother has told my sister to put her turtle in the microwave, instead of the freezer. Frequently, my own tang gets tongled. When this happened, we just shout DORANNA! and move on.

Briar Rose
And last, but not least, before we move on, we learn that Rosamond is actually her second name, and that's she's frequently called Briar Rose by her friends based off of it and her first name - Briarra.

And Robert and Robin have another aunt named Briarra. Very interesting ...

Quotes:

   “I guess that we wilt have to sleep under the stars,” said Rosamond. “I like that, they art so pretty to look at.”

   “Yeah,” said Robin, “they’re really good for looking at when you’re asleep.”

   “Thou art funny,” said Rosamond. “I usually look at the stars when I am awake. To each his own, I guess.”

   “Don’t you get sarcasm?” Robin asked.

   Rosamond smiled. “Thou dost not get magic,” she said.

   “Bungalow?” said Robin skeptically. “I thought you lived in a bungalow – not played one.”

   “Shush,” whispered Rosamond aside. “Banjo.”

   “Well, they both start with b and end with o,” complained Doranna, who had overheard. “I get not everyone’s pickiness with worms.”

   “Not everyone getteth thy pickiness with mathematics,” answered Rosamond.

   “Oh, two point two three six zero six seven nine seven eight,” said Doranna, and continued on in a chain of numbers that Robin found dizzying. “At least with numbers, most everyone speaketh the same linguist. Unless, of course, they use a different basic.” 


Discussion Questions:
1. A lot of people (including myself) are fascinated by sword backstories. What do you think of the one I gave to Auroren?
2. What was the weirdest place you've ever written something?
3. Do you ever bungle your speech like Doranna and I do?

Barn Dance

And here we are for chapter seven.

As a reminder, anyone who comments and answers the questions at the bottom of this post will be entered to win a free copy of My Kingdom for a Quest, and for a second chance to win, you can check out this post.

And don't forget that anyone who has reviewed Sew and Take (or at least Take, since it's the one in more desperate need of them) has the opportunity of Beta reading Kingdom in December.


Interruption
And here we have another one of those Interruption things. If you've read "Woodcutter Quince" (Which may or may not now be available in print! I've got it all set up ... I just need to wait until I can press the button.) you might recognize what's going on ... but since I only know of four people (myself, my mom, my Grandma, and Miss Melody) who have read it ...

We have a young woodchopper (that was before I discovered the proper term, I apologize) who is faced by a disappearing dragon and then is declared a prince by a princess.

Hum ... even more confusing than the last interruption.

But before I move on, I'd like to point out that in the original draft, this interruption actually came sooner in the book - it was actually the first one. I'll tell you why I moved it in the next chapter though ...

Fairy Discussion
We start off the chapter talking about the fairies again. Rosamond expresses curiosity over the appearance of the fairy that had told Sir Hugh that the twins would have to do the search themselves. And, once again, she's able to finish one of Robin's incomplete memories of the conversation, and then tell who it was. Lufawna, the green fairy.

And then when Robin finally thinks to ask about why she happens to know so much about the fairies, she admits that they had been frequent visitors at her father's court - and then she confirms that there are seven good fairies.

The specification of good sounds significant. Better file that away for later.

Madeleine
Since this girl is such a goldmine when it comes to information about the fairies, Robin decides to risk a different sort of knowledge. She asks about the mystery aunt that Aunt Talia had asked about.

Apparently she does ... but when Robin starts prying for answers, she closes in and indicates that her disappearance had something to do with the mysterious Change.

And then the conversation turned to sewing, much to Robin's annoyance.

The Wedding
They stay the night at an inn, then resume their journey. Rosamond immediately turns the conversation to the twins' plans after their quest has been completed. However, I think it's significant that Robin immediately jumps to the short term. I wonder if the answer would have been different had Robert made it, but it's clear that Robin doesn't have any plans for her life beyond attending Eric's wedding.

However, there are a few more significant bits to be found here as well.

1. Eric was the one whose sword is in their ceiling, meaning he was the one who inadvertently revealed the mixup of the twins' gifts.
2. Rosamond is clearly upset by the mention of him, and especially by the Princess Beauty.
3. Robert mentions that Robin's just jealous that he isn't marrying her. She denies it ... but you have to wonder ...

I find that last one especially considering a scene I was just editing the other night in Kingdom.

Barn Dance
And then they stop in another village ... but one with a a Barn dance. Robin doesn't seem very thrilled, but Rosamond is ecstatic. Apparently she really enjoys dancing.

She can't go without escort though, so Robert offers to take her. Robin immediately insists that she goes with them to "keep them out of trouble," though I think that fact that she doesn't like to be left out of things would be a more accurate reason.

One more thing before we move on from this bit. Rosamond's shoes, the dancing slippers that she produces from a pocket, which match her dress perfectly. They aren't just slippers, and though I never talked about them again, I meant to, and neither have they come up in any of the sequels (though I have a short story planned that I could work them in ...).

Well, in short, they aren't just any shoes. The fact that they match her dress exactly is not an accident. Readers of Take may remember one character mentioning that one of the fairies likes to give a physical accompaniment to her gifts? Well, I'll go into further explanation in chapter 12. Just note that these are special slippers.

Push au Kim.
While Rosamond enjoys herself, Robin and Robert strike up a conversation with the other person sitting out. A small man whose description focuses on three things - his hairdo (which is the Traditional Chinese, I'd just read The Good Earth when I wrote this book), the fact that his clothing is made predominately of cat-skins, and his fancy red boots. He calls himself Push au Kim.

Readers of "The Prior Quest" probably know that he's the Puss in Boots, and he was actually one of the first fairy tales which I worked into this world. He was in the original No Longer a Dream draft, though in a slightly different setting. He happens to be one of my favorites. I don't know what it is about Chinese characters, but they just steal my heart.

His Story
Apparently he's here helping some poor prince try to recover his lost bride. Which prince? Why, Eric of course? What other prince do I ever talk about in this book (other than Robert)? I can imagine Robin's amusement to learn this, though she chooses to question the man's wording.

Sleeping Beauty?

Very interesting. The term means little to Robin, but I'm sure the readers who are familiar with the fairy tale perked up a bit here. I love how Push tells the story. He has a very ... interesting style, much better than the last storyteller I pulled in for the Mountain Princess.

The story even catches Rosamond's attention. I find the question she asks interesting - how will he know when he has found her?

Dancing
And then she dances off and the chapter comes to a close. But I find Robert so adorable right here - wishing so earnestly that he could dance, and therefore dance with her. It makes my shipping-obsessed author's heart grow warm with pride.

Or something like that. Moving on!

Quotes:

   “Just wondering,” said Robin. “Since no one else we’ve asked seems to know anything about her either. She appears to have come from nowhere. I bet she's an absolute priss!”

   “She's just jealous because Eric isn't marrying her,” said Robert.

   Robin shot her brother a glare. “Why would I want to marry him? I didn't put his sword in our ceiling without a reason, you know.”

   “Prince Eric of Winthrop,” said Push. “Somehow, he has lost his Sleeping Beauty.”

   “Sleeping Beauty?” repeated Robin. “Why is she called that?”

   “Maybe because she sleep a lot?” suggested Push, then laughed. “No, no,” he continued. “Here her story. You see, Prince Eric hear of Beautiful, Enchanted Princess who sleep in middle of thick forest. She sleep a hundred years. Prince Eric think, ‘I want to see this Beautiful, Enchanted Princess,’ so off he go. After long and hard battle, he get through thick wood. Then he find Beautiful, Enchanted Princess, and he wake her up with a kiss. They fell in love at first sight, for, isn’t that how stories like this always work? He ask her to marry him, and she say yes.”

    There was a cough behind them, and Robin turned to see Rosamond standing there. She noticed their gaze and gave an embarrassed smile and wave of her hand. “Pray,” she said. “Let not my cough disturb thy story, for I find it most interesting.”

Discussion Questions:
1. Rosamond seems to be hiding quite a bit. What were your suspicions at this point?
2. What do you think induced Robert's comment about Robin being jealous?
3. Isn't Push a great character?

Their Story

Just ignore the February
Although there is the fact that Kingdom is coming out in February

I have fallen FAR too behind on this But I shall try to rectify the problem at once.

Anyways, since I'm no longer working, I'm going to tone down the prizes I had had planned for this. I don't remember what all I had promised, but a lot of it had to do with extra stuff you could do. So now, basically, answer the questions, and I'll enter you to win a physical copy of My Kingdom for a Quest which has the current projected release date of February 14th, because I love all of you.

And, don't forget, Sew, It's a Quest, as well as two of my short stories, are currently free on Kindle.

So, anyways, on to the actual chapter. This is, perhaps the closest chapter to its equivalent in No Longer a Dream, the version of Sew that that had been from Rosamond's POV. It's when the twins finally divulge their backstory, sharing most of the details that I had been tantalizing my readers with.

Although, I just pulled up the document for No Longer a Dream, and Locksley was described as one of the less important countries, as opposed to now, where it's one of the larger more important countries. Um ... plot changes?

The Fairy Godmother
Robin and Robert don't admit to many people that they have a Fairy Godmother, but since Rosamond has already blown away one of the soldiers, they apparently deem her safe.

And actually, she's not surprised to hear that they have a Fairy Godmother, even makes the claim that many princes and princesses do - which is odd, since Robin and Robert are the only two to have received gifts in a hundred years.

Notice, however, how Robin describes the gifts - one pink, one blue. Of course, the answer is obvious, one for her, and one for him (incidentally, their favorite colors are pink and blue - though dark shades of each color) ... but perhaps there's a double meaning?

The Mix-Up
Despite everyone expecting Robin to be great at sewing, and Robert a master swordsman (it would be the natural thing, considering their family's history) as it turned out, the opposite was the case. Robin was all thumbs when she picked up a needle, and while Robert did well enough while he had a wooden sword, once they gave him his first real sword, he suddenly didn't know what to do with it.

Poor kids! Everyone pushing them to be what they didn't want to be. To do things they just couldn't figure out. They were miserable - but then they made a strange discovery. Robert got the hang of embroidery his first try - and he wasn't even paying attention to what he had been doing.

So Robin jumped at the opportunity to take his sword lessons - something she had secretly wanted for quite some time. They convinced their nurse to swap their clothing, and went to each other's lessons. I'm not exactly sure how they got away with it, but I suppose it had mostly to do with the fact that no one expected it. I mean, what boy would willingly go to a sewing party of women? And a girl wielding a sword? Unheard of! (Despite the fact that there are women in the Locksley family tree who did so ... but that was 300 years before.)

Out of the Bag
Now, as Rosamond points out, their wearing each other's clothes to each other's lessons obviously didn't last forever. And, if thou wilt remember, back in chapter one, Robert had put a time on how long he had worn her skirts - six months. So how did people find out?

Well, quite simple, they had an unexpected sword fight. Neither of them expected the visit from this neighboring king to result in a sword fight, so they didn't bother to switch themselves. Unfortunately, this king happened to have a son who is also a prodigy with the sword, so an impromptu match is naturally suggested.

I can just imagine the desperate glances the twins exchange, the desperate excuses that they invent that don't work because the only effective one would be the truth - and they can't admit to the truth.

And Robert meets this young prince in the middle of the hall, sword held in trembling hand, still looking for a way out that doesn't exist. The duel is over almost before it began. Robert hadn't stood a chance.

While everyone's surprise turned to laughter, Robin, who had surely been on the edge of her seat, knowing that it ought to be her down there wielding the sword, jumps from her chair with her cry of "You can't do that to my brother!" She runs and picks up the cast away sword and turns the tables. Now, I have a suspicion that surprise had something to do with it, but it doesn't take long for her to lodge this rival prince's sword in the ceiling.

I don't give the name of this prince, but with Robert's comment about the sword "being there to this day," it does cause a body to wonder ...

Bag Cat
And here we have our first mention of the Bag Cat. Seems Rosamond takes that saying a bit literally, another unusual thing about this girl. But is it as crazy as Robin brushes it off as being, or maybe there's more to it ...

Fairy Godmothers
And then, when Robin can't seem to remember the name of their Fairy Godmother (seriously, girl, it's about the only thing you have to go on for finding this fairy, and you forget it? how serious are you about finding her anyways?) Rosamond guesses it after only hearing the first syllable. She confesses that she would have thought it was a different fairy - Yifinna - a fairy who had mixed up some friends of hers, a Samson and Shira.

Interesting.

And it's a good thing that they got Fallona and not Yifinna, since apparently Yifinna can't undo her gifts, while Fallona can.

And then she lets slip something else - Fallona is her Fairy Godmother too! Her gift was Beauty of the Rarest Kind. (Though she admits that she's only average - Robert! Tell her it's not true, that she's the most beautiful creature you've ever laid eyes on! ... Uh ... yeah, I aggressively ship my own characters. It can be embarrassing)

"No one can know about the fairies, they can only know of the fairies what the fairies wish them to know"
And then ... Oh, Kendra ... I thought this line so clever back when I was fifteen ... but here, nearly for years later, I want to go tell myself otherwise ... though I don't think I would have listened. I can be terribly stubborn when it comes to the lines I think are clever. But ... oh, well. I was trying to create the impression of mystery and all that, but it did lead into a comment on Rosamond's speech, so ... I guess it worked?

And then it led to a line that came from No Longer a Dream. Robin's remark on molly-coddled princesses. I actually have a pretty firm memory of writing this line in that original version of the story ... I was in a Laundromat (our washer was out of order at the time), writing on my old win97 laptop that is now little more than a very heavy paperweight. Ah, good memories.

Back at the Inn
Horses retrieved, story told, confusion spread, we're finally back all the inn where all the trouble began. Since apparently there's a horse more than had been lost, and Robin and Robert now have a new traveling companion who needs a horse, they get the extra. As well as some recovered money, which I'm sure won't hurt.

While they're discussing these details and getting things sorted out, they hear guitar music - and the man who owns the guitar is in the stables. Upon investigation, it proves to be Rosamond, who once she realizes she has an audience, immediately stops playing, clearly uncomfortable being watched. And despite the fact that the owner of the guitar says she's better than he is, she admits to having never even seen the instrument before in her life.

Second Fairy Godmother
Riding away from the inn, the adventure over, Robert remarks that her immediate skill with the guitar reminds him of his own with the needle - but her gift was beauty. She admits that she actually has a second Fairy Godmother - Yifinna this time. The one who messes gifts up, apparently. She doesn't seem to care much for either of her gifts, however.

And then she turns the conversation to a few of her friends - more friends who had been mixed up by the fairy godmother. We find out what Samson and Shira were gifted with - he's a soprano singer and she's incredibly strong. And then we learn about Solomon, with the mirth of youth, and Serendipity, with the wisdom - and hair - of the gray haired.

No quotes this time, couldn't find any that particularly stood out when taken out of of context. 

Questions:
1. What did (or do) you think of Rosamond and her secrets at this point?
2. Do you ship your characters as aggressively as I do? (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)
3. What did you think of Robert and Robin's back story?

THIEVES!!!!

I really ought to take out the "This February" ...

And here we come to chapter 5, which would have been chapter two in the No Longer a Dream version of the book.  I really need to get on the ball with this but … I need to get on the ball with blogging period!

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve now been working at a “real job” for six months now – an interesting experience, that, had you told me two years ago I would have one, I would have scoffed. But it’s been good for me, and not only for financial reasons. I’ve been able to do a LOT of people watching (once a coworker accused me of eavesdropping, but truth is, I wasn’t even listening to what they were saying, I was just observing how men have conversations) and I’ve picked up sales skills which can only help in my chosen profession.

But anyway, on to the commentary.

Interruption
My Grandma tried really hard to get me to call these “Interludes” but I was stubborn and called them interruptions. They just didn't feel like interludes to me.

This first one (which was, interestingly enough, wasn’t the first that I had written) involved a girl running through the woods at knight and talking to the trees. This was, basically, a truncated form of the original first chapter of the book, just as the prologue was a truncated form of the original prologue.

Another Rude Awakening for Robin
Robin is not a morning person, and here she is, receiving another rude awakening from her brother. This time, however, he gets faster results.

Their horses have been stolen.

Now I didn’t know this at the time of writing, but Robin’s actually very close to her horse. As it is implied later in the book, she trained Snow herself, and they’re quite close. (I can thoroughly see her singing “horses are better than peoples,” except for the fact that she doesn’t sing.) Hearing that someone stole her horse does not make this the best day of her life.

Well, there’s nothing for it but to follow the thieves, and Robin and Robert volunteer to search in the direction their headed. The likelihood of them actually finding them is low, but they really don’t have any other options.

Thieves Found
Pretty soon it is apparent that they are at least on what is very likely the trail of the thieves, and soon after that, they hear voices, and soon after that, they see their horses. Robin goes into attack mode.

This is one of the fuzzy scenes where I wasn’t actually sure what was going on. Robin “dispatches” a few of the thieves, and I think that, when I wrote this, this wording was supposed to be an euphemism for her killing them … but since latter character development of Robin has revealed that killing isn’t her style, and she hasn’t actually physically harmed anyone since her training, so … as I said, it’s a bit fuzzy. And since, thanks to events at the end of the book, Robin probably doesn’t remember this anymore, I’m not sure I’ll ever figure out what really happened here.

Anyway, she manages to get all but one of the thieves out of the picture, but when she starts looking for that one, he’s nowhere to be found. She asks her brother where he is and her brother doesn’t look like he believes what he just saw.

And he’s lived with Robin his whole life, he knows how good she is with a sword. So unless she was going out of character and actually killing those thieves (which I honestly don’t think she did) this isn’t something he should be staring out in stunned surprise.

Enter a Girl
While he’s stumbling over an explanation for his astonishment, a girl – the mysterious girl from the prologue? – walks onto the scene and provides it. They “blew away.”  Robin instantly assumes that she’s a fairy, but she shakes her head and says that “anyone can ask the wind to blow for them.”

This part was not in the original No Longer. I wanted to set up some worldbuilding for one of my favorite fairy tales, “The Goosegirl,” which, at the time, I wasn’t sure what I was doing with it. (I have since mostly figured it out. Heads up – book 8.) However, she never asks the wind to blow, or the trees to do anything else in the rest of the book, it just didn’t work in. I have since done more worldbuilding and know that she was actually asking Forest Guardians, which are something like dryads, and one of the Cloud Sprites for this help.

That aside, Robert finally recovers from the man blowing away and the entry of this beautiful girl and asks her name. It’s Rosamond. Which Robin immediately attaches to one of their great-aunts. Robert asks if she’s the Mountain Princess – she’s not. Robin wants to know what she’s doing here.

And she pulls the melodramatic card. Which, as you continue reading, is out of character for her. Sigh, it was supposed to be one of her character traits, but she lost it somewhere along the line.

Her Speech
The most consistent complaint I have heard on this book is that the Shakespearean speech isn’t authentic. Honestly, I agree. But I thought I was being a clever little KJV purist, and I thought I knew everything.

Eh … but as I read back over this, I completely agree. If I ever do another edit of this book (which may or may not happen, and possibly in the near future), I will make sure I read through and improve all of the old speech. I have Learned things since then that would have made this book much better.

She Joins Them
 After Robin pulls some sarcasm that Rosamond doesn’t understand (a character trait that did remain consistent) Robert invites her to join them. After all, Robin might curtail her “talent” and a girl who can ask the wind to blow might be helpful on their quest for fairies. Also, I think he might be a bit smitten with her.

And then she asks why Robin has a sword and Robert doesn’t. The twins are a bit hesitant – their gifts not being one of those things that they like to talk about.

Favorite Lines

“Forgive my sister for being rude,” Robert suddenly put in. “We are Prince Robert and Princess Robin of Locksley.” Something flashed ever so briefly across the girl’s face, too quickly for Robin to figure out what it was.
“I am Princess Rosamond,” the girl replied.
“We had a great-aunt by that name,” commented Robin.
Something flashed across Rosamond’s face again, this time, even swifter. “Yes,” she said, “It is a very popular name.”
“No,” said Robin. “I mean it’s a rather, you know, old name.”
Rosamond laughed. “I have been told that,” she said.

“Really?” asked Robin. “So you’re lucky I came along?”

“Aye, for I wast not sure how much longer the trees wouldst be able to hide me,” said Rosamond. “But I ran away from another group yesterday.”

“You run from one danger just to be caught by another?” said Robin. “Girl, you’ve got talent.”

A puzzled look crossed Rosamond’s face. “I knew not that that wast a talent,” she admitted.

Robin rolled her eyes. “Well,” she said. “We need to get these horses back to where they came from.”

“Would you care to join us?” Robert asked. “Perhaps Robin will be able to curtail your ‘talent’.”

“That wouldst be nice,” said Rosamond.

Questions:
1. Did you connect Rosamond to the girl in the interruption?
2. Do you think Robert is smitten with her?
3. Any favorite lines?