Thronegarden by Andrew Dickerson (top rated books of all time .txt) 📕

The moon needed magic to obtain liberty.

Why did magic begin?

Listen close and I will tell you a story you could not imagine.

The moon needed to escape the Lady of the Lake’s possession,

As he was taken prisoner for an unknown crime,

He tricked the Lady using his reflection,

It all happened with the first person saying

Once upon a time.

How did magic happen?

Well, that brings us to the story of the very first garden.

When the first child was born, he was scared so he began to shout,

They thought he might be cold so they had the sun come out,

Then they considered he might be tired so they had the moon come about,

At last, the child stopped crying and they had the stars watch over him devout.

How did magic happen?

Well, it was with the first child in the first garden.

A whispered word telling a simple rhyme,

It all happened with the first sharing of

Once upon a time.

“That’s my favourite,” Damselfly responded once the tale had ended.

“You say that after every story I tell,” Old Nana teased.

“I just love them all,” the princess expressed.

Their morning ritual was disturbed as Queen Etherelle entered the room, dressed in a flowing emerald gown. It was unusual for the queen to see her daughter before breakfast as it was Old Nana’s responsibility to see the princess was prepared for each day.

“Good morning, Mother,” Damselfly spoke while Old Nana bowed respectfully.

“Good morning, daughter,” Queen Etherelle replied with a smile.

“Do you know what day it is today?” she asked.

“It is the same day it has been for ages.” Damselfly was surprised by the question.

“Today is a very special day,” the queen revealed.

“Why, what is so special about it?” Damselfly questioned.

“Today we are going to throw you a grand birthday party.”

Damselfly’s eyes widened while her mouth dropped open in surprise. She hugged her mother joyfully and looked at Old Nana in wonder.

“Your first gift is here.” The queen walked across to a hardwood chair where the clothes were laid out.

The princess often wore rather conservative clothes as she felt awkward in dresses or gowns that her mother bore so beautifully; however, the outfit for today was something entirely different and specially crafted by the seamstresses. Damselfly leapt out of bed with a scream of delight. Old Nana barely got out of her way as the young girl charged across the room and embraced her new clothes.

“Hurry up and get ready; there is a lot to do today.” Queen Etherelle grinned at her child’s happiness.

“Happy birthday, Damselfly.”

Damselfly was still admiring her gown when Old Nana eventually managed to get her ready. It was a tight-fitting silver tunic with a subtle pink dress and black stockings. A new pair of polished shoes adorned her feet, hand made by Master Colter himself; they were a fiery red that matched her hair. By far her favourite part of the design was the symmetrical pair of fairy wings that had been hand-stitched to the back. They looked so real, Old Nana was worried the girl would suddenly fly away. A missile struck Damselfly as she reluctantly departed her room where she had spent the longest time admiring her new outfit in the mirror. The princess was bowled over and viciously licked by the family pet, a large Dalmatian called Trigger. The dog was kept as a last line of defence and could be especially vicious to those he did not know, but he loved Damselfly enough to pounce on her every chance he got.

“When will that dog learn?” Old Nana complained.

Damselfly hugged Trigger, accepting his rather wet greeting with pleasure and after making sure her wings were not damaged by the encounter, they walked down the corridor towards the dining room where they normally had breakfast. Trigger strutted ahead of them like a personal guard. He was as tall as Damselfly and heavier than Old Nana, his coat was white with black spots, except his ears which were all black.

Damselfly’s bright start to the day was darkened, literally, by the shadow of Orion who stood before the banquet hall dressed in his usual red sorcerer’s cape.

“Today breakfast will be taken in the atrium,” Orion announced with mild annoyance.

Of all the people within the royal apartments, Damselfly disliked Orion the most. He always seemed to be watching her, scolding her for the slightest infractions and never once offered a kind word or smile. Damselfly did not trust Orion, and the sorcerer seemed to know it. The problem was Orion and his twin sister, Luyna, were the only magicians in Thronegarden and her father, the king, relied on their powers as well as their wisdom to help him run the kingdom.

Damselfly could never remember eating breakfast in the atrium before. Orion led them outside the royal apartments where Damselfly had rarely been and down a short flight of steps. Trigger ran ahead, wagging his tail with delight as he caught the scent of something delicious. Damselfly kept close to Old Nana while sneaking

suspicious glances at Orion whenever she thought the sorcerer was not looking.

A blast of music greeted their arrival as the minstrels played a jaunty tune. Polter and Geist tumbled in their colourful acrobat uniforms as Lark provided a harmonious melody. Damselfly was surprised to see so many people at breakfast. The large dining table was full of wonderful food and Trigger was already sniffing around for scraps. Damselfly was impressed by the spectacle that greeted her, yet there were no other children her age apart from Luyna’s daughters, the twins, Coral and Celeste, who were always horrible to Damselfly when no adults were around. Damselfly’s father was absent again, leaving only a small party to actually enjoy the fine meal. With Orion’s lingering presence