Princess Adele lives with her brother,
Robert, the King of Valdoria in the castle. There has been a monster
terrorizing the Kingdom for months. The King has finally come to a decision on
how to deal with the monster but the Princess can't agree with him. For the
sake of the Kingdom Princess Adele decides she must be the one to kill the
dragon. She couldn't live with herself if her brother went ahead with his
plans.
What Adele found on her quest changed her
life and the lives of those around her. She was a strong young woman who knew
what she wanted and would do whatever it took to get it. Follow Princess Adele as she battles to save
her home and her life.
Let's delve closer into the book and look at an excerpt!
Princess Adele's face paled when she heard
the words of her brother. Her large green eyes stared at his face as she spoke.
"Robert, it's inhuman. You can't do that. If the child were yours, what
would you be thinking?"
"Look, Adele, I didn't come to this decision
without doing a lot of soul-searching. Do you not think I haven't run this
through my mind a million times? I don't know any other way to keep our kingdom
safe from that monster. The counselor told me it's worked in the past."
"I don't care what your mighty
counselor said. You can't do this. There must be another way." Princess
Adele turned from her brother, the King, leaving him standing in the room
alone. Her plan must be executed before the full moon.
How such a monster threatens her beautiful home
is almost too much to comprehend. If only Anthony was here. He'd know what
would be needed to stop this unthinkable act. Tears rolled down Adele's cheeks
as she thought of her beloved Anthony. She enjoyed the world one day, deep in
despair the next. What happened? Why did he leave?
The Princess recovered her emotions and
resolved to come up with another plan besides sacrificing a beautiful child to
the creature. There ought to be another way. Arriving at her bedchamber, her
lady’s maid waited for her.
As Adele entered her room, Miranda bowed
"Your Highness", she said.
"How many times do I need to tell you,
Miranda, you do not bow to me and call me "Your Highness" every time
I enter the room when we're alone. We've been like sisters since the age of four."
"I know, Adele, but if I don't do it
all the time, I may forget. If I call you, Adele in public His Majesty's ogre
of a counselor will behead me or something worse."
"What's worse than having your head
chopped off?" Adele asked.
"Made to marry a man I do not
love." Miranda helped the Princess change into her sleeping gown to make
her ready for bed.
"Robert has tried to marry me off too
many times to count. Six years ago, before we married, Anthony ran away for
some reason. "
"You don't believe that any more than
I do, Adele," With a soft voice Miranda said, he loved you more than life,
and it showed in everything word and action he made. Changing the subject, what
did the King say?"
"He plans to go through with the
sacrifice on the night of the full moon, which is in two weeks." Princess
Adele's covered her face with her hands as tears began to flow. Her voice
trembled as she spoke. "I can't sit here and do nothing. A child sacrifice
is unconscionable to me."
"What can a girl of your small stature
do against a dragon? Many Knights died fighting that dragon. I can see you dead
before you even get to the lair."
Princess Adele climbed into bed. "You
know I can do anything a man can. She stifled a yawn then said "Goodnight,
my dear friend. I hope you sleep well,"
***
Miranda blew out the wick of the oil lamp
and said, "Goodnight, Adele." She turned with a big smile on her face
and walked to the door to her room. I know what she's going to do, and as soon
as her death is confirmed, I'll console the King. I'm in a fantastic position
now to put our plan into action. I will be Queen of Valdoria! She smiled as she
blew out the light and settled into her bed.
The door to Miranda's room opened and
closed without making a sound. She heard footsteps padding across the room.
"Hello, my love," Miranda whispered as she joyfully fell into a pair
of strong arms.
***
She walked down the aisle to her beloved,
Anthony. When she got close enough to take his hand, she slid backward, having
to begin the journey down the aisle all over again. Adele experienced the same
nightmare about her Anthony when she fell into a deep sleep. Tossing and
turning, Princess Adele unable to sleep any longer, sat up in the bed. In the
blackness of her room, she reached a decision. I know what I must do.
Without stars, the night sky displayed no
brightness, only blackness as pitch. Adele hurried as she dressed in the boy’s
clothes hidden in the straw of her mattress. Her secrets remained her own. Her
adventures out of the castle before the sun came up, on many occasions, was
known only to her. This adventure would be no different.
Her father made sure both of his children
received the same education which she gave thanks for many times. She could
fight with a sword and ride a horse as well as her brother. She bested her
brother in their formal schooling. He wanted to play instead of educating
himself. Robert began to apply himself to his education not long before their
parent’s death. Adele's impressive capabilities were known only to Robert. Her
father wanted her skills kept a secret for the purpose of a surprise if she
needed it. If something happened to her brother, Adele could run the kingdom.
If her quest failed, she would no longer be
alive, and her brother would be alone. He would be the only one of the family
left. Her parents, the King, and Queen died the previous year from the plague.
She and her brother left the area until the crisis passed.
They returned home having no parents and
the country, no King and Queen. Her nineteen-year-old brother became King and
Lord Ashmore guided the new King in all decisions. They relied on Lord Ashmore
as their father did, over the years.
***
In an inconspicuous manner, Adele walked
down the long castle hallway to the secret exit that took her underground,
straightway to the stables. She thought once again of her father and how he
made sure she knew the secret entrance location. He told her no one knew about
it except her, but if the need arose she could share it with her brother. So
far, it remained her secret way out of the castle.
She lit a torch before entering the tunnel.
She didn't like the darkness of the tunnel. The dampness didn't bother her at
all, and it felt refreshing when the outside temperature got high.
The trap door opening in the stable storage
room remained well hidden. She checked it every evening, so it remained
unobstructed. At the bottom of the ladder, she pulled her sword from its
storage area. She carried it as she climbed the ladder to the storage room.
After covering the floor with the rug to
hide the entry, she made her way to Champion's stall. "Hello, my darling.
Are you ready for a ride?" The stable hand saddled the horse. She put the
mufflers on Champion's hooves so he wouldn't make any noise walking across the
stones. Adele waited for the guards to walk to the other side of the parapet so
she could escape the castle grounds unseen. She didn't wait long. When she felt
it safe, she carefully walked Champion out the gate to the open field. Once on
his back, she gave the horse his head and let him run across the field to the
timber edge.
Where can I buy this fabulous book?
About the author
Shirley McLain makes her home in Sapulpa
Oklahoma with her husband and their fur family of four dogs and three cats. She
also has two grown children, six grandchildren and twin great-grand sons. She has/is living a very full life. She retired after working thirty-two years as
a RN and then began a full time writing carrier. She and her husband enjoy
their five-acre country home. It is a
perfect setting to let Shirley’s Muse work it’s magic. Shirley is an eclectic
writer and has always enjoyed the writing process. Shortly after her retirement
she woke up one morning with the thought that she was going to write a book.
She didn’t stop writing until she’d finished her first book. So far she has published four books which are
now on Amazon. Her goal is to bring as
much enjoyment to her readers as deserve and want.
Useful links
email
Shirley_mclain@yahoo.com
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