Túrandil the Wizard

Túrandil the Wizard

     I'm here to tell you about a certain wizard named Túrandil (which stands for great friend). For many years Túrandil had been the King's royal counselor and the most powerful wizard in known history (even more powerful than Merlin). He knew all the spells in the known world, could turn anyone into anything. He could move objects and manipulate nature. He looked like your typical wizard; a gray beard, a tall pointed hat, and a robe. But unlike most wizards, he wore green instead of blue or white. Túrandil rode a magic unicorn that he had discovered in the dungeon of a mad wizard. The unicorn's name was Faelvellon. He could run faster than any living horse, jump farther than any deer, climb higher than any mountain goat, and was as smart as a human. I should also mention that Faelvellon could speak.

   
    Túrandil had been in many wars. He had battled dragons, trolls, goblins, sorcerers, sorceresses, wizards gone bad, and many other wicked creatures. It had been a great life. All the fighting he had done had brought on an age of peace. So, he decided he was getting old and it was time for him to retire.

   
    He found a nice cottage hundreds of miles away from the castle and any village or town. His cottage had one bedroom, a small kitchen, a pantry, his library of many hundreds of books (starting at the basics with 'Wizards for Fools' all the way up to advanced, with 'How to Beat Foes and Destroy Enemies, Volumes 1-6'), an observatory, and a laboratory for developing new spells. Outside the cottage he had a pond to swim in, two gardens, a forest, a small pavilion to sit under, and a stable to keep his unicorn in.

    The wizard greatly enjoyed his new, quiet life away from all the responsibilities of helping to run a kingdom. He would get up at sunrise each morning and have his breakfast of poached eggs, toast and bacon while listening to the days news from a local eagle who came each morning. After that he would head out to the stable to feed Faelvellon. For the afternoon Túrandil would eat lunch, ride his unicorn, do lots of reading, and go for a swim. In the evening after supper, Túrandil spent time in his laboratory practicing spells and concocting new potions. Sometimes he would entertain guests from nearby, and old friends on occasion. This went on just fine for fifteen years, but then it began to get old and boring. The wizard found himself longing for adventure.

    His great longing for adventure was soon cured in a bigger way than he could ever have anticipated. One day Túrandil was working in his garden when he heard someone riding quickly towards the cottage. He was greatly surprised to see his closest friend brondirith, from the kingdom: the captain of the Royal Guard! The captain was very tall with broad shoulders, golden hair and a long beard. He was the most renowned of all the King's soldiers, and had been a part of every battle that Túrandil had been in. The two had spent nearly all of their spare time together.

    After a very warm exchange of greetings, Túrandil asked why Brondirith had come hundreds of miles to see him. At this question Brondirith's face became very grim and old looking. Túrandil asked, “What troubles you dear friend?”

    Brondirith replied, “Very grim news. It will take much time to tell you my tale.”

    Túrandil said, “Let us go inside and have food and drink while you speak.”

    When Túrandil had set the table and prepared the herb soup, biscuits, and jam, the two friends sat down. Then Brondirith began his story. “As you know”, he began, “The King's son, was reigning over the Kingdom after his father's death fifteen years ago, when you left. Well, everything went quite nicely for the next twelve years, and then things changed for the worse.”

    “What happened?” Túrandil asked with concern on his face.

    “It so happened”, Brondirith continued, “that small bands of archers and horsed riders, both wearing red clothing, started attacking small villages throughout the Kingdom without warning. When word reached the King of what was going on, he sent a group of three knights and ten hardy archers to find out what these troublemakers were after and put a stop to it.”

    “The group searched for an entire week before coming across the troublemakers. As they were riding near a small village, a loud scream came from one of the houses. When they went to see what it was, they came upon a group of archers and men with swords, ransacking a house. The head knight yelled out to the men to stop, but at the sound of his voice, they started coming to attack him. A battle ensued and the troublemakers were defeated.”

    “Only one survived, and all he would say was, 'I was sent by my master, Lord Baingalad. He is very powerful.' They took him with them back towards the castle, but just as they had nearly reached it, he got free and ran off. He ran into a nearby forest and could not be found.”

    “A month passed after the man had disappeared, and then rumor was brought to the King that a small army of seventy-five soldiers dressed in red was attacking nearby villages and killing many people. This greatly worried the King, so he sent an army of two-hundred men to fight the enemy soldiers. The captain of the King's army expected an easy battle but he was very wrong. The enemy army had strange weapons; curved swords that shot fire, large rounded blades, shields with sharp edges, and long poles with an unnatural (magic) fire on the ends that scorched anyone it touched. Despite the intimidating weapons of the enemy, the King's army wasn't afraid and came on them in full force. This was a grave mistake as they found out quickly that their enemy was extremely powerful. The battle was over in mere minutes, with the King's army almost completely destroyed.”
 

    “When the battle was over, there were only two of the King's soldiers left; one knight and one archer. They both made it back to the castle and reported the awful news the the King who was very distraught about it. He decided to send scouts to find where the enemy soldiers were coming from. It took them a very long time to locate the enemy's castle. One day nearly six months later, the most renowned scout returned with very frightening details. He told the King and his royal advisers that he had heard rumors of soldiers in the east. So, he traveled that way for three-hundred miles before finding anything. What he found was a large valley with many guard towers and an enormous castle right in the middle, the biggest he'd ever seen. He also saw lots of smoke, and worst of all thousands upon thousands of soldiers dressed in red. He said the soldiers weren't all men either. There were trolls, minotaurs, and ogres too!”
 

    “After the King heard this, he said, 'We must prepare for war!'”

    “Soon after, preparations began. Weapons were gathered, food was prepared, armor was made, and strategy was planned. Nearly everything was done and they were planning to leave three days later. But the very next night an odd light began to glow in the east and the faint beat of drums could be heard. Early the next morning someone rode up quickly to the castle and was hurriedly brought before the King. The man told the King that a massive army was coming from the east at great speed, destroying everything in its path. He said they would reach the castle in the next hour! The Kings eyes grew big and he said to me, 'Hurry! There is little time! Prepare to protect the castle!'”
 

    “Horns began blowing wildly as the army was summoned, and the call, 'To Arms! To arms! The enemy approaches!' was heard. Thirty thousand men scrambled to prepare for the attack, putting on armor, grabbing weapons, grabbing shields, and jumping on horses, faster then ever before. Within the hour the soldiers were in their places, the battlements were manned, the catapults were loaded and the drawbridge raised. They were all ready, or so they thought.”
 

    “Over the hill marched the biggest army any of us had ever seen. With well over seventy thousand men and evil creatures dressed in red, and a wizened old man wearing a glimmering robe with a staff, walking in front. They came just out of firing range and stopped, at the old man's command. The old man then spoke in very loud voice that all could hear. 'I am Lord Baingalad! Over many years, I have been building up my forces to help me conquer these lands and become the supreme ruler. I am very powerful and will surely destroy all of you, but if you surrender now, I will spare your lives.'”
 

    “With me being captain of the guard I felt it was my duty to reply, and reply I did. I stepped forward and yelled, 'We will not bow before a madman, who we have never heard of! We will fight for our King!'”

 
    “Lord Baingalad angrily replied, 'You have chosen foolishly!' He then held his staff up and a red glow emitted from it, then a blinding flash came and the battlements were totally destroyed. On came the enemy. It was like the tide of the ocean. They kept coming and coming. We had no chance. They slaughtered everyone but me and five others who are now in hiding. Lord Baingalad and his army captured the castle and imprisoned the King.”

 
    “That was two years ago. Since then, Lord Baingalad has had the castle enlarged and has added many evil things to it. His army has grown in size and he has enslaved all the people of the Kingdom. The four I mentioned and I, who are Naurél, (the wizard who had been trained by Túrandil and was quite powerful), Arthol, (the knight who saved Túrandil's life many times and was the King's best knight), Hanor, (the swordsman who was the best in the Kingdom with a sword), and Míreth, the archer who was the greatest marksman ever born, (It was rumored she could shoot a human hair from one-hundred yards blindfolded), went into hiding. I wished to come to you for help, but I had to wait for a good opportunity to leave, since the land is guarded so tightly. My chance came three weeks ago when there was an eclipse of the moon, which caused extreme darkness throughout the land. Now I ask for your help. Our need is desperate.”
 

    When brondirith had finished his story, Túrandil was sitting in his chair with tears falling down his cheeks. He composed himself and said, “My beloved kingdom is in great distress. I must fight to bring peace again and save the King. This madman will fall by my own hand. We will leave in one week, for you to rest and me to prepare for battle.”
 

    Over the next week, the two friends spent many happy hours talking about old times and planning their strategy for the coming war. When they weren't spending time together, Túrandil was working on re-memorizing his spells and getting his body into better shape, for the war he was about to finish. Túrandil also got out some of his old things from his days as the King's adviser. His sword called “Aglarefnor”(which means glorious flame), which was nearly unbreakable and was also a magic blade, his magic staff that was inlaid with priceless gems, powerful magic potions Túrandil had made, and his best magic book that had spells for battle.
 

    When the week ended the two friends set out for the Kingdom, Túrandil on his unicorn and Brondirith on his white horse. It was close to two hundred miles from the cottage to the Kingdom. So the plan was to ride at full speed during the day until they were within twenty miles of the castle, then ride quietly at night to avoid being seen. It took them twelve days to get that far, and then they went on for three more days until they were near where the others were hiding (which was deep in enemy territory) . Being nearly three miles away it would be almost impossible to make it there without getting caught, but to brondirith's amazement, Túrandil held up his staff and a great darkness covered the moon. The darkness allowed them to reach the hiding place without being detected at all.
 

    The hiding place was in a hidden valley in an old oak tree that was hollowed out some with a tunnel underneath, leading to an underground cellar full of food for times of great distress. The two friends left their horses in the valley and climbed down through the tree tunnel and into the cellar, much to the delight of the four friends hiding there. Tears of joy were had by all and many warm greetings were exchanged. When the pleasantries were done with, it was time for business.
 

     Starting the very next day, the group began planning their attack. It was very hard to come up with a way to fight eighty thousand enemy soldiers, but after much thought, Túrandil came up with an impressive idea that would take him and Naurél to pull off. There was a spell in Túrandil's book, the most powerful spell he had ever heard of. It was to summon the greatest dragon in existence. The dragon was called Agirik and he was ninety feet from head to tail, had impenetrable armor, could speak, and could breath fire. It was said Agirik could be summoned once every one-hundred years, but only in time of great need.

 
    The two wizards began casting the spell together, and suddenly, in the sky above their heads, the clouds began to swirl and turn red. Then, a huge dragon came down and landed next to them! Túrandil and Naurél stood in wonder, staring at the magnificent creature they had called forth from the ends of the earth. Agirik was even more amazing than they had ever imagined. He was red and gold, with razor sharp claws and hundreds of jagged teeth. The dragon looked at Túrandil and said, “Why have you summoned me? What is your plight?” Then Túrandil explained everything to Agirik. The dragon then said, “I will help to bring peace to this Kingdom, but when this task is complete, I must depart.” It was decided that Agirik would fight the main enemy army and Túrandil, Brondirith, Naurél, Arthol, Hanor, Míreth would fight Lord Baingalad at the same time.
 

     Early the next morning the friends set out for the castle, with Agirik flying overhead. Upon reaching sight of the castle gate, Túrandil sent a blast of fire from his staff that destroyed the gate completely. As soon as the gate was blown away, the dragon flew over the wall and began destroying enemy buildings and attacking soldiers. While the dragon was attacking soldiers, the five friends went to the castle to fight Lord Baingalad and whoever or whatever was guarding him. Right inside the courtyard, there were twenty swordsmen with strange curved swords guarding the main castle door. When they saw the five friends enter, they ran with drawn swords to attack. Weapons clashed! The battle was fierce! After the fighting stopped, all five friends rested near their slain enemies, catching their breath. The next step was to reach the throne room, but that would be a hard task, considering that the castle had many elite soldiers inside. Túrandil had a plan. He would cast a temporary invisibility spell on himself, and find Lord Baingalad by himself, while his four friends fought the enemy soldiers.
 

    Túrandil disappeared, and was off for the throne room as his friends began their attack. When he entered the throne room, he was disgusted with what Lord Baingalad had done to it. All the beautiful artwork was marred, and the carved statues were broken in pieces, laying all over the floor. In place of the statues were hideous carved monsters and all sorts of strange weapons hanging on the walls. The walls had all been painted black with many star constellations, which strangely glowed as if they were real.
 

    Lord Baingalad was sitting on the throne. A large minotaur was standing beside him holding a large battle ax. There was also a knight in gold armor with a glowing red sword, standing in front of Lord Baingalad. They both came at Túrandil, who had drawn his sword which glowed with a blue light. Túrandil looked like an old man, but didn't fight like an old man. He was very quick, dodging blows left and right. He blocked a blow from the minotaur and spun behind him while cutting him down. Then in the next minute, a bright flash came from his sword, and he struck the knight, slashing clean through his armor and killing him instantly. Now it was time to face Lord Baingalad. As Túrandil approached him, Lord Baingalad looked towards him and said, “Who are you that you dare come before me! And without invitation!”
 

    Túrandil replied, “My name is Túrandil. I was the King's royal adviser for many years and helped bring peace to these lands. You have disrupted this peace and hold my new King in the dungeon. You have enslaved his people. It is time for you to pay for your reign of terror! I challenge you to a personal battle!”

Lord Baingalad began laughing an evil laugh and said, “I will grant your request, fool of all fools, but you must know, I am the greatest sorcerer the world has ever known!”
 

    Túrandil scoffed, “You are the most insane sorcerer the world has ever known. And you will be destroyed!”
 

    Lord Baingalad stood up from the throne and pulled out a curved sword that glowed red. “The time has come!” he cried. Both men's swords clashed together, sending colored sparks flying all around them. The battle had begun. The swordsmanship of these two was unmatched by any other fighter. Each stroke was matched by the other: Parry! Thrust! Parry! Thrust! Spin! Dodge! To any observer, it would seem like these were young men with unlimited energy, fighting each other. The sword fight continued on through the throne room for quite some time, and after a very hard swipe from Túrandil's blade, Lord Baingalad grabbed his staff and sent a huge blast of energy from it. Túrandil quickly jumped out of the way as the blast came. It blew a gaping hole in the wall that led out to the front of the castle. Lord Baingalad began firing again. Túrandil ran through the hole to avoid getting hit and to keep the castle from being destroyed. Right behind him came the sorcerer, laughing and shouting, “Where have you run to, weakling?”
 

    When he came out, Túrandil was waiting for him with his staff in his hand. He looked at Lord Baingalad and said, “In the battle of blades we are even, but now it is time to compare our skills in magic.”

Túrandil held up his staff and dark clouds quickly formed in the sky. Hail came right for Lord Baingalad's head, but he sent a blast of fire to meet it and it melted on contact.
 

    Túrandil's next attack was to send streaks of lighting right at his foe, but Lord Baingalad caused the ground to come over him, blocking the deadly shock. When Lord Baingalad cast the ground away, he called up a huge tornado, which went directly for Túrandil. In defense, Túrandil summoned a mighty arctic wind to blow the tornado into nothingness.
 

    Now Lord Baingalad was angry and roared, “You have not even tasted my full power!” At that he held his staff up and the clouds cleared and the sky turned red. A loud distant sound resounded from above, and a huge comet came hurtling down towards our hero. Túrandil gave a gasp and quickly began a powerful spell. He planted his staff into the ground, and immediately, a golden light shot up out of it straight into the comet, totally destroying it in a dazzling explosion. Lord Baingalad was exasperated and let out a scream of, “Noooo! Curse your magic! I am not through, yet!” Just as he finished speaking, Túrandil's friends and the King himself showed up to watch the great battle, having taken the castle.
 

    The next thing that happened greatly surprised the evil sorcerer. One of the only red soldiers that remained alive ran up to his master and bowed before him, not daring to look up at him. He then cried, “My Lord the castle has been taken.” Lord Baingalad's jaw dropped and he struck the soldier down with his sword. It was time for him to unleash his full fury and power on his hated rival. Ruling his own land, or ruling the kingdom didn't matter any more. His only desire was to kill Túrandil!
 

    Lord Baingalad picked up his staff and began to wave it in the air. After a few seconds, a green light began to surround him and he grew in height to at least double his normal size. His staff turned into what looked like a flaming ax made of living fire.
 

    Túrandil had never seen the like of it. He knew he needed help to defeat the evil sorcerer. So he called for his unicorn, Faelvellon, who came soon after his master whistled for him. Upon Faelvellon's arrival, Túrandil climbed on him and had him run a good distance from Lord Baingalad.
 

    Túrandil spoke to his unicorn and said, “We must work together and combine our power to take down Lord Baingalad.”
 

    Faelvellon replied, “I will do as you desire my master.”
 

    Túrandil said, “I want you to run towards the sorcerer as fast as you can and I will take care of the rest.” Túrandil pulled out his sword with one hand and held his staff in the other. As his unicorn put his head up, a white light came from his horn and covered his whole body, making him hard to look on. Túrandil's blade glowed with blue fire, and the wizard began glowing the green of his clothing. Then he leaned his head towards Faelvellon's ear and shouted, “Run!” The unicorn began to run. As he was running, Túrandil shouted a spell. Suddenly they were going so fast, everyone who watched could only see a white and green blur flying towards the enemy. Just before they reached him, lightning came from the sword as Túrandil held it up, and then the wizard struck with all his might, cutting Lord Baingalad down where he stood. There was an earth-shattering scream from the evil sorcerer. His body disintegrated, and a whirlwind of red fire and smoke went immediately into the sky.
 

    Túrandil's friends came running to him from where they were watching, cheering and congratulating him on his hard fought victory over Lord Baingalad. The wizard enjoyed all the praise, but was more pleased that his friends and the King were still alive and unhurt. The King had not followed the four to meet Túrandil, so the wizard approached him, bowed down, and said, “Seeing you alive brings me overwhelming joy, my King. When I heard your Kingdom had been overthrown and you had been captured, I knew I must come to your aid.”
 

    The King put his hand on Túrandil's shoulder and declared, “Today you have done the work of an entire army. Most powerful of wizards, I owe you my life.”
 

     As the King finished speaking, Agirik, the dragon, landed beside them and said, “I have completed my task in helping to bring peace to this fair Kingdom. Now I must return to my resting place at the ends of the world for the next one-hundred years, until I'm needed again. Farewell, and may you all and this Kingdom prosper!” With that the dragon flew away and was gone.
 

    Starting the very next day, all the Kings subjects were freed from slavery. Repairs were started on the castle and any remaining enemy soldiers were rounded up and given the option to serve the King or be imprisoned. A group of the few remaining soldiers (about fifty), Túrandil, and his friends searched out Lord Baingalad's castle, killed all the guards and what little remained of his army, and captured the castle. The castle had many interesting things in it, such as a map of the entire region, battle plans for taking the King's castle, hundreds of spell books, many exotic potions, a journal that gave great insight into why Lord Baingalad had become so evil, many notes describing his future plans, and many diagrams for making weapons. Túrandil made the decision to gather as many useful items as possible, and to destroy the evil castle.
 

     After spending three days taking things from the castle, Túrandil and Naurél both stood at the entrance of the dark valley and cast a mighty spell of destruction, which sent fire down from the sky totally demolishing the castle. Not one stone remained. The small army and the five friends returned home with all the amazing things they'd gathered from Lord Baingalad's castle and the good news that no enemy remained.
 

    As for our heroes, they were all honored at a special ceremony that everyone in the entire kingdom attended. There was even a royal holiday set aside for them, that was celebrated each year on the day of the battle. Statues were made and placed inside the castle courtyard to commemorate them. Túrandil re-retired but was given a cottage within the Kingdom to make sure nothing else would disrupt it again, and was a part time adviser to the King. (the other wizard) was given Túrandil's old job as the royal advisor. Brondirith was named general of the royal army, but he requested to remain at his post as captian of the guard. The wizards three other friends were put on the King's council. Soon after, the Kingdom was restored to its former beauty and everything was back to normal. Peace had been restored just as Túrandil had promised.

Kingdom of the Beavers

The Kingdom of the Beavers

     Before I start my story I would like to introduce myself and tell you what I do. My name is Arthael the explorer. I am an elf and my job, or what I like to refer to as my calling in life, is to visit cultures and lands throughout the world and write about them. I take my job very seriously and I feel I must do it properly. So, what I do to accomplish that is to find a culture I think sounds interesting, go to visit it, learn their history and everything I can about them, and then I write it down in my journey guide so I may bring it to you, my readers.

    When I first became an explorer I had heard rumors of there being a Kingdom of Beavers in a far off land and thought it would be a good place to start my career. I journeyed for many days and just as I was getting discouraged I saw an odd sight coming down the road. It was a beaver walking upright with very fine clothing on! He came up to me and said (to my surprise) “What might you be looking for my good Elf?” I replied, “I am in search of a kingdom of beavers. Do you know where it is?” He turned and pointed behind him and said, “Follow this road for about ten miles and you will reach it.” This brought a huge smile to my face and I thanked him profusely and headed off.

    After taveling many hours I came in sight of a huge wooden wall. The wall looked to be a large circle that was many miles round and there were guard towers spaced every quarter mile along it. I soon came to the main gate of the kingdom. When I reached it, I was met by a kind young beaver in what looked to be a guard outfit. He asked my name and purpose for coming to their kingdom. After explaining things to him, he took me through the gate and one of his fellow guards offered to lead me to the palace. He brought me before the King, and after I told the King my occupation and who I was, he very graciously gave me permission to write about his kingdom and said he wished to pay me handsomely. The King also provided me with a nice room in the palace, a personal guide, access to historical documents, and freedom to wander through the whole kingdom. After much research, I wrote out my story and here it is for you to read.

Please enjoy!

Arthael the Explorer

The Kingdom of the Beavers

    Long ago, in a far off land there was a colony of two hundred beavers who decided to settle along a wide river with a large lake at the end of it. These beavers were unlike any beaver we would think of, because they could talk, think, read, and walk upright like people.

    Now most beavers just build dams to live in, but this colony wanted much, much more. First off, they made a log wall that went in a twenty mile circle around part of the river and all of the lake. They also built guard towers on the wall. It took the beavers two whole years to finish. The next project to complete was the building of many beautiful houses, which took the next five years to finish.

Then they built a wooden castle right in front of the lake, which took them three more years. The castle had four towers, a ballroom, a large cellar, the royal kitchen, an armory, a treasure room, the banquet room, many bedrooms, and a throne room. Soon after the castle was finished, a king was crowned whose name was King Gnawbert the first. The royal lineage would pass on down through his descendants from oldest son to oldest son.

    The building of the kingdom did not stop after the amazing feats mentioned above had been finished. With the beaver population having reached eight-hundred there was need of more food and a way to store it. To do this they planted corn and barley, and made wooden bins that were twelve feet tall and six feet wide to store it in. To prepare the corn and barley the beavers built mills to grind it into flour. The other food sources were fishing, and huge vegetable gardens.

    With a mighty river and a beautiful lake being the centerpiece's of the Kingdom, the beavers made full use of them both. In the center of the lake, a large city was built on a large wooden platform. It had everything a beaver could want, and many of them left their houses to live there. The lake city served as the main harbor for the kingdom, with many boats, most for fishing, and some for fun. Along the river were many docks and five harbors. It was an awesome sight to go down the river and see all that the beavers had made, along with the pretty boats and the sailors sailing them.

    Now that the basic needs were met, the beavers began focusing on improving their lives. The first step they took was to figure out some simple way of recording their history. What they came up with was paper! A special forest was set aside to provide wood for producing it. When trees were ready, the beavers cut them down and sent them to the royal paper mill near the castle. At the very beginning, paper was only used by a few beavers who knew how to write. It was mainly used for keeping records of the kingdom and its history. After a few years of that King and his council felt that it would be good for the kingdom if every beaver could read and write. The goal was to have every beaver able to read by their fifth birthday (beaver years are different than human years). To accomplish this goal, schools were built and teachers trained. Every beaver child was required to go from the age of four until they reached their tenth year, which was their coming of age.

    The beavers did not like the idea of going around in just their fur all day. It wasn't sophisticated. So they made clothing for themselves out of cotton, which they grew outside the main city. Now one thing to note is that the beavers were quite finicky about their clothing and only wore the finest. The beavers could buy their clothing from stores which were located in every town or village.

    With the beaver's desire for sophistication their teeth posed a problem. The problem was that a beaver or rodents teeth grow their entire life and unless they gnaw or chew wood everyday their teeth can grow into their head and kill them. And chewing is improper or rude for any beaver to do. To remedy this problem dentistry was introduced to the kingdom. Each week all beavers were required to visit their town dentist for teeth trimming and cleaning.

    Another part of being sophisticated (by beaver standards) was to collect things such as carved animal figures, shiny stones, toys, and small trinkets. Huge fairs and bazaars were put on every year where beavers could show their collections and vendors could sell their wares of every make of collectible. The idea of collecting is taught to beavers at a very young age, and those who do not collect anything are thought to be odd.

      Even though the beavers are highly intelligent, they can still get sick or wounded, so healthcare was needed. In the early years of the kingdom the beavers' knowledge of healing and medicine was very limited, so a great deal of time was spent increasing that knowledge. They found many things in nature that they could use for medicine, healing of wounds, ways to repair broken bones, and many other health issues. This knowledge the beavers gained was very helpful, but they needed someone responsible to use it. To accomplish this task King Gnawbert had a medical school built where doctors and nurses could be trained. The King issued a decree that each small village should have at least one doctor and two nurses, and each city should have five doctors and twelve nurses.

    Beavers are experts when it comes to wood, but a city needs more than wood for building. For these needs they used stone and iron. It just so happened that the beavers discovered stone hills just outside the main wall surrounding the kingdom. After removing some of the stone, a grey substance was found running through the stone hill. The beavers didn't know it right then, but they had discovered iron ore! It took them many months to learn how to use it but when they did it was very helpful.

    Being in a large kingdom there is plenty of work to do and the kingdom of the beavers was no exception. So with that being the case there was no lack of jobs. Each beaver child was encouraged to spend one year after completing school to choose and train for a career of their choice. The most popular jobs tended to be anything dealing with wood. There was also another option that only the most daring would choose. It was to travel the world.

    The last area of beaver society I want to mention is animals. The love of animals started at the very top with King Gnawbert and trickled down to the small beaver child. The King had animals that most of his subjects could not afford such as miniature pony's, exotic parrots, lobsters, a Kangeroo, and trained falcons. Most of the commoners had ferrets, chipmunks, goldfish, turtles, and small dogs.

    Even though it's been many years since the founding of the kingdom of the beavers, the kingdom still remains and has nearly tripled in size. The current ruler is King Gnawbert the fourteenth and he gladly welcomes visitors like you and me to come and see the Kingdom of the Beavers.

The Legend of Iden the Dwarf

        As most of you know, the typical description of dwarves is that they are shorter than men, are hardy and stout, grow long beards, are short tempered and have a lust for gold. Our story is about a legendary dwarf, not among the dwarves, named Iden Longbeard, who fit the mold in looks but not mind. He came from one of the wealthiest families in the dwarf city of Stonefort . Their family always had the best of everything: the best food, a huge mansion, the best training, and the nicest clothing. His father was in charge of the royal treasury, was on the high council of the king, and was well revered among all the citizens. Part of his job was to search for more gold to add to their city's wealth. His mother was the head of the queen's kitchen. Iden had a brother and a sister who were both very intelligent and highly respected. Despite all that Iden had and was a part of, he was very unhappy with his life and daydreamed of grander things.

          Iden didn't think or act like any other dwarf. He was always good humored. He was more concerned about others than himself. He wanted to leave the city and go on many adventures, and the most surprising thing was, he hated gold! These quality's made him quite unpopular with nearly everyone. His parents loved him but were so hard on him about it that he gave up his lofty ideas and decided it was less trouble being normal. He went through all the typical dwarf training growing up and took a job in the stone quarry when he came of age. He was very good at his job and quickly moved up the ranks until he reached the top position, but he loathed it in his heart. His loathing grew to the point where going to work was the worst thing he could think of doing and there was no way out of it. Then nearly two years later a life changing event happened.

         One dreary day, Iden had just started his day of work when he heard a terrible screaming coming from the forest on the other side of the quarry. Being the caring dwarf he was, the screaming tore at his heart and he rushed to help. As he approached the forest, he saw an injured elf laying on the ground, surrounded by goblins. Iden gave a war cry and charged them with his ax, killing them in mere seconds. After wiping off his ax he quickly ran to the elf who was seriously wounded and hardly able to move. 

         Now if you know very much about dwarves, I'm sure you are aware that elves and dwarves don't like each other. Another thing to consider in our tale is that it was against the law to bring any elf into the city. Iden knew this law, so he tended to the injuries right there and waited until dark to take the elf home with him. This was not the kind of small elf some of you might think of, like the kind in Santa's workshop. This race of elves was almost as tall as men, very fair looking, powerful fighters in war, and much stronger than they looked. 

         It was a long and tiring night carrying the elf back home. Part of the problem was that he had to make it back without being spotted. They made it back just fine. Iden lived alone, so he didn't have to worry about someone there reporting him. The elf was very sick for many days, but his color was slowly coming back and his wounds were healing. When the elf was well enough to talk, he spoke to Iden and told him his story. The story is too long to tell you all of it, but here is what I can tell you. The elf said, “My name is Galanír, son of Gilanu, the king of Summerlight Island. I was on a journey to visit my relatives in Willow-tree Forest when my guards and I were attacked by a group of marauding goblins. They ambushed us and most of my guards were killed right away. I and two others survived. We took down most of the goblins but my two companions were cut down. I fled in fear for nearly five miles, when, as I reached the forest, grief and weariness overcame me and I stumbled to the ground. My enemies soon caught up to me and began to batter me with fists and stones, mocking me in my weak state. That is just before you came to my aid and killed the vile creatures.” At these words a look of awe and wonder come to Iden's face and he bowed low before the prince. Galanir put his hand on Iden and said, “My good dwarf. You need not bow to me, for I am in your debt. You have taken great risk to rescue me and tend to my wounds in your own house.”

          Galanir had been in Iden's house for nearly a week without any incident. Then one night, just as supper was prepared, the door was broken down and many royal guards of the dwarf king quickly entered and bound Iden and Galanir and carried them to the palace. They were taken before the king, unbound and told to stand before him. Then the king spoke, “Why have you broken my royal law by bringing an elf into our city?” Iden spoke up. “This elf was greatly wounded and would have died without my aid.” The king said, “Even though this may be true, you have broken the law. On behalf of my great respect for you and your family, I will forgo punishing you, if you personally throw this elf out of the city.” Iden replied, “Sire, this elf is none other than Galanir prince of Summerlight Island and he is not well enough to leave.” The king became angry and said “Be he Prince or peasant he is still an elf! He must leave!” Iden had had enough! “I have lived among the dwarves my entire life and have grown weary of my own people's ways! All that crosses your minds is your own personal gain! You are all selfish gold hoarding swine! You, O king of dwarves, are to me a king of fools! I will not throw my friend out for your silly law.” At these words the king turned a dark red and screamed “How dare you! Vile dwarf, great shame you bring to your father. I hereby banish you along with your friend from my city! If you ever wish to return, perhaps begging before me like a dog will move me to pity.” Then he ordered the royal guards to throw both Iden and Galanir out of the city.

         They were both given weapons: an ax and shield for the dwarf, a bow and a knife for the elf, a small store of food made for a long journey, and a few changes of clothing. No one came to see them off as they were violently thrown out the gate. The two friends picked themselves up and headed away from the city. As they walked Galanir said, “I did not get a chance to thank you for standing up for me. I owe you greatly.” Iden responded, “It was my pleasure to rescue one as wonderful as yourself. I have always dreamed of meeting an elf.” Galanir then said, “My good friend Iden, you must come with me to my fathers kingdom so I may repay your deeds of valor. Think of what you would request to have given to you for your reward, as we return to my home.” Iden stopped in mid step and said, “I ask no reward for my deeds. I believe it is my duty to help anyone in need of help.” Galanir looked at Iden kindly and said, “It is part of my peoples' tradition to pay those back generously who save an elf from death. Who among dwarves is more worthy of honor than you my dear friend.” Iden said, “If that is the way of things, I will come with you and accept whatever you deem me worthy of receiving.” At these last words the two companions headed towards the city of Summerlight Island.

         The two friends' journey was long and uneventful, but Iden was very excited as he had never been away from his own city. They passed over the final hill before the elf city when Iden stopped suddenly with his mouth gaping open. His eyes beheld the most amazing sight! There before him was a wall of trees in a huge square growing right against each other; a guard house on every corner. Inside the wall of trees was a lake full of beautiful boats with an island in the center. A long bridge led across the water to the island on which was a magnificent city of white stone with silver and gold tiled roofs. Their was a harbor. A large palace made of marble, with a roof of gold and gems across the edges stood at the center. The city also had many flowers, trees, and fountains, which Iden had never seen before. “This is the most amazing place I have ever laid eyes on!” exclaimed Iden.

        When the two friends entered the city, Iden waited in the palace courtyard as Galanir went to talk with his father. After a few hours, the prince returned and told Iden King Gilanu was ready to see them both. Upon entering the palace, Iden was stunned. He had never seen such a magnificent building in all his life. The throne room floor was made of polished marble, inlaid with sparkling gems. The walls were of white stone covered with paintings of trees and birds. The ceiling was made of many glowing crystals of all colors, and there were gold statues of past kings and queens lined up on either side. At the very end sat King Gilanu upon a throne of silver made in the shape of a leaf. King Gilanu looked much like his son but a little older and much wiser. He held out a hand and beckoned the dwarf to come before him.

         Iden came before the king and bowed to him and said “It is a pleasure to meet you king Gilanu. Your son has told me much about you and your kingdom.” The king replied, “Perhaps it is more my pleasure to meet the one who rescued my son. Galanir has told me of all you have done for him and I am greatly amazed by your courage. I wish to reward you. Ask anything you wish of me and I will consider your request.” Iden thought for a few minutes and then replied, “Sire, if it please you, I desire to become a knight and help others who are in peril. I need weapons, armor, battle training, and a horse to ride.” At these words a look of awe came over the kings face and he said “What a noble request from a dwarf. Not even many elves would desire the path you have chosen. I most certainly will grant your request, and you will also have full access to me and much of my kingdom. You will be given your own house and stable in this very city.” Galanir spoke before Iden could reply. “Father, I owe this dwarf my very life and I wish to be Iden's companion throughout his adventures. If I should perish alongside my friend, my brother may take my place as future king.” The king replied “My son. This grieves my very heart, but nonetheless I will grant it because of my great love for you.” Tears of joy came to Iden's eyes and he embraced Galanir, thanking him over and over, bowing many times. Then after calming down, he spoke to the king. “You have made my dreams come true, and for this I pledge unfailing loyalty to you and your kingdom as long as I live.”

        Iden spent the next few weeks in training for his new occupation and at the end was given the items he had requested; A double bladed ax with a golden handle inlaid with bright gems, a suit of armor which was light in weight but stronger than iron, a mighty sword which had been forged many years ago and was rumored to have special powers, and a mighty white horse named Aronor. After everything was prepared, Iden and Galanir left the city to begin their adventures in the wide wild world, which we will speak of at another time.

The Guardians of Oak Island

There once was an island called Oak Island. It was called this because it was in the shape of an oak leaf. This particular Island was in a giant lake, and many animals lived there in peace for many years. The animals that lived there were badgers, weasels, rabbits, deer, groundhogs, wild boars, otters, lots of pretty birds and flying squirrels.

Now, we could talk about all the other animals, but this story focuses on one specific group of animals. A family of flying squirrels. These weren't your typical flying squirrels, there was something special, you might say. And not like the out of place kind (like the ugly duckling). There was a litter of five; three brothers and two sisters. Their names were Flash, Scamper, Rosebud, Amelia, and Timothy(the smallest). What made these five special was that they were super smart and they could fly faster and longer. They flew during the day, unlike normal flying squirrels do. Some thought they were special because of the food, some thought it was good upbringing, but nobody was exactly sure. There is one more ability that they discovered later on.

One day Flash was flying around the Island and he spotted a wooden crate laying on the ground. Being curious, he flew down to the crate(which was part-way open) and climbed in. When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw a pile of airplane magazines and assorted books. Being a flier himself, this greatly interested him, so he went to take a look. Flash could make out the pictures, but there were also strange symbols on the cover and pages that he couldn't make out. This puzzled him, but he would worry about that later. Right now he needed to get his sisters and brothers to show them his amazing discovery. When he reached home, he told his siblings about the magazines. They were very excited and followed him there. To get the magazines home, they recruited the help of some badgers and wild boars. When all the magazines and books were in the flying squirrels' house, they all five began looking through them. One of the books had just so happened to be a phonics book.

Looking at the magazines was very frustrating, because the squirrels could not read. After looking through the magazines, the squirrels found a phonics book! They went through the phonics book every day for months, and by the end of that time they had learned to read! Now they could read through the airplane magazines, and they read every word. The squirrels learned all about airplanes, fighter jets, and bombers. They also gained lots of knowledge about how to fly faster, quicker and smarter which would help them later on, as you will soon see.

As it turned out the north end of the island was closest to the mainland and the water was somewhat shallow there. Now you might say, what does this have to do with our story? Well, the answer to that question is this. The Island had been peaceful for many many years without even a hint of predators.

Nevertheless, on the mainland there were stories of Oak Island being full of delicious animals, more than you could count. This had been told to all the coyote and panther children, but no one had ever been to the island, because the water was too deep. It so happened that the huge lake had changed. The water had gone down just enough that it was possible to reach it from the north end. Many animals on the mainland were afraid to go to the island, but there were two tribes willing to try it. A group of panthers and a group of coyotes had formed an alliance to go to the island so they could both share in the spoils.

One dark cloudy summer night, the group crossed the shallows and came upon the shore of Oak Island! During the night many kind animals were killed and carried back across the shallows. The next morning there were screams of terror all across the island, as animals discovered missing family members, along with signs of blood where they had been. This horrible event played out again the next week, bringing the death count to over thirty. This time the coyotes and panthers left a little too late and were spotted crossing the shallows. The predators had to be stopped!

The very next day, a counsel meeting of all the animals was held. After the details had been presented it was time for a solution. Nobody could come up with any good ideas and it became very quiet. Then, in the midst of the quiet, Rosebud(who normally didn't say much) spoke up and said, “My siblings and I will take care of this problem.” Her brothers and sister looked at her in amazement. Then they all said together, “What are you talking about!” Rosebud replied, “Don't you remember what we read about fighter jets and bombers. We can use what we learned to attack our enemies. We just need some time to figure it out.” Flash asked for a few minutes to talk to his family. After what seemed like a long time they came back and said, “We'll do it!” It was well accepted by all the animals, but they only had a few days to prepare.

Right after the meeting the squirrels went home to get ready for war. They read and reread every scrap of information about jets and bombers. To get ideas for weapons and armor, the squirrels flew all over Oak Island. When they all gathered back at home, each squirrel had collected an item from the island. Flash had walnut shells, Scamper had pebbles, Rosebud had red berries, Amalia had round stones and Timothy had sticks. Here is what each item was for: The walnut shells were cracked in half and painted red for helmets. The pebbles were to be used for bullets, the round stones for bombs, and the sticks were sharpened for missiles. The squirrels spent the rest of the week doing target practice to hone their skills.

When the next week arrived, the animals began to prepare for the invaders. They sent scouts to patrol the island at night, and had all the animals sleep closer to the middle of the island. The groundhogs, badgers, and rabbits dug holes and covered them with sticks and leaves, the wild boars sharpened their tusks and added tough bark for body armor, and the otters gathered stones around the shallows to throw at the enemy.

The very next night a weasel quietly came to the squirrels' house and told them the enemy had reached the island. It was time for war!

After putting on their helmets and gathering their weapons, each squirrel quietly took off into the darkness. A few minutes into their flight, Flash spotted the group of raiders. It was a group of fifteen; eight coyotes and seven panthers, who were totally unaware of the planned attack. Rosebud suddenly dove down towards a coyote and spit pebbles in his face, blinding him, sending him rolling and yowling on the ground. Flash dropped a large stone on his head, killing him instantly. This put the other fourteen on the alert. They all quickly gathered close together searching the air for anything strange. Just then Scamper and Timothy each flew over, dropping round stones, killing their intended targets, a panther and a coyote. A moment later Amalia killed two more coyotes by throwing two sharp sticks through their bodies. This sent the remaining ten into a panic and they franticly began to retreat, howling and screaming the entire time. As the enemy ran towards the shallows four, of them fell in the covered holes injuring themselves, which slowed them way down. Those four were soon killed by the wild boars with their razor sharp tusks.

The remaining six were nearly off the island. As they were running, three panthers were killed by the squirrels' bombing runs. Much to the relief of the remaining enemies it looked as if they were going to escape, but as they began to cross the shallows, the otters who had hidden nearby, began throwing stones. Since the otters had practiced so much, they were very accurate and they quickly killed two and seriously wounded the last one. The enemy had been defeated!

Hours later, the last panther reached his home, barely alive. He collapsed in front of the eagerly waiting pack. As the pack elder came up to his wounded ally, the dying panther said with his remaining breath “Don't...go to...Oak Island...Flying demons everywhere...” After these last words, dread entered the hearts and minds of all who had heard. Now, the story of Oak Island was one of ultimate terror, and no panther or coyote ever tried raiding there again.
Back on Oak Island, all the animals had a huge feast in honor of the valiant heroes: Flash, Scamper, Amalia, Rosebud and Timothy. Forever after, the flying squirrels were known as the guardians of Oak Island.

The Lonely Walrus

I'm sure you are all aware of what a walrus is and how a walrus is supposed to behave. They spend their time laying on rocks in the warm sun, eating, swimming, attending lessons to learn the walrus ways and eventually, have a family.

Well, this story is about a walrus, named Wilber, who didn't behave like a normal walrus would. Wilber was different from birth. He wasn't content to play with the other Walrus children. He liked to explore and had very little fear of getting lost or eaten. This worried his parents and they tried telling him to be a good boy, but it didn't help. As Wilber got older his friends made fun of him and wouldn't spend very much time with him. Wilber didn't let it bother him enough to make him change his ways. He would just say “I'm not like you guys but someday you will see I'm special in my own way”.

The other walruses thought Wilber was out of place when he was a child, but they were in for a big surprise when he became a teenager and grew tusks. Wilber was amazed with his tusks and thought they should have a better use than just making him look tough. He did a lot of thinking to decide what he could do with his tusks.

One day he was moving along as walruses do and he saw an ice cliff in the distance. As he looked at it a thought struck him. The thought he had was “I wonder if I could climb that cliff by using my tusks?”. He decided to act on his thought, so he went right up to the cliff, pulled his head back, and slammed his tusks into the ice. To his great joy, the tusks stayed in the ice! His joy soon turned into frustration as he found he couldn't get any higher on the cliff, and after many hours of trying he gave up. Wilber's friends saw him trying to climb the cliff and made fun of him for being a silly walrus. For some, being laughed at would've crushed their spirits, but not Wilber. It just made him more eager to prove them wrong.

Starting the very next day, he set out for the cliff with the same result as before, but he kept trying over the next few weeks. At the end of the third week, his frustration had reached its peak. As he was hanging on the side of the cliff, he let out a yell, gave a heave with his flippers in anger, and to his amazement he moved up the cliff a whole walrus length! He did it a second time which moved him up again! Over the next two hours of climbing the cliff he reached the top. He'd done something no other walrus in history had done! It took some thinking to figure out how to get down. To do this, he stuck his tusks part way into the ice and slid down tail first. When he returned home he told everyone what he'd done and nearly all the Walruses told him he was crazy. The one's who didn't thought it was a useless idea. This turn of events caused the other walruses to ignore him even more.

Some days later, Wilber was a long way from the herd exploring the edge of the ice, and as he was moving along he heard someone calling for help. This puzzled him and he wondered who or what would be calling for help way out here? He started moving forward and the pleas for help started getting louder. Suddenly he recognized the voices. It was his parents! Wilber moved faster searching everywhere for them. He almost gave up hope, but to his joy and dismay he spotted them. They were stuck on a nearby iceberg with a polar bear slowly approaching them. The iceberg was turned the wrong way! The sloped side was too far for him to reach. Only the steep side was facing him. Wilber jumped into the water and swam to the side of the iceberg. He pulled his head back slamming his tusks into the ice and climbed faster than ever to the top, just as the bear was about to attack his parents. Anger filled Wilber and he charged, ramming into the polar bear, knocking him off the iceberg! Wiber's parents were saved!

When Wilber and his parents returned to the herd, everyone cheered and praised him for his brave rescue. He was no longer alone and laughed at. He was a hero. Within that very year he met a wonderful girl walrus and started a family, in his later years he became the elder of the tribe and ruled with a kind hand(or flipper as we call it). The story of Wilber is told to all the walrus children and has been passed down through many generations.

Introduction to my blog

I used to really despise writing and found it very hard for me to do, but over the years I have come to find that I actually enjoy writing. I may not be the greatest at it but I have discovered from talking to people that not everyone can put their thoughts on paper without great trouble. As for me I don't have a lot of trouble doing that, it almost seems to come naturally.
I have always had a very creative imagination since I was little and in the last few years I have had a desire to use that to write stories geared towards children. This blog is me finally taking my first step towards that desire. Maybe this will lead me to other ventures with writing. I hope to write one story each week.

Enjoy my wonderful imagination.