Lady Dragon, Tela Du

by Kendra E. Ardnek

  Up: Generally, it means the same as it does in our own world, but when referring to direction, it means the same as our North.

  Waterfall: The source of RiWa, which is the longest blue Ri in Rizkaland.

  Wea (WEE-ah): The Rizkan version of West.

  Wienta (wie-IN-tah): Another world that Laura has visited.

  Wilsi: A star that Amber used to manipulate seasons.

  Winsot: A star with the power to turn people into ice.

  Yehu (yay-HOO): The name for Alphego in Luna.

  The Islands

  Rizkaland is a cylindrical world, divided by seven mighty bodies of water, known as Riva, into six islands and the mainland. It has no magnetic field, so compass directions are referred to as up, down, ea and wea. Each of the six islands and the mainland run from the very top of the world to the bottom, though they differ greatly when it comes to widths. They are separated from each other by Rizkaland’s seven Riva.

  Klarand

  As of the time of Water Princess, Fire Prince, many of the islands were still uninhabited. Of the inhabited islands, however, the most important was Klarand, with served as a barrier between Amber’s Island and the mainland.

  Klarand is divided naturally by mountains and forest into four sections. Upper Klarand is mountainous, and the inhabitants are predominately miners and soldiers by trade. Lower Klarand is predominately forests, and men there are hunters and tenders of animals. Both Ea and Wea Klarand are flatlands, and are populated with farmers. In its very center stands the Kastle, an impregnable fortress build directly into a mountain by Alphego himself.

  Rizkaland

  The mainland of Rizkaland is the largest portion of land in this world. In its center stands Loray, a circular castle built around Alphego’s Hill, which is where Alphego stood to create this world.

  The mainland is predominately farmland with scattered forests.

  When Amber moved to Rizkaland, her castle was situated in the upper portion, where it stood for five hundred years.

  Rintae

  The desert island of Rintae was largely uninhabited at the time of Water Princess, Fire Prince, though a few nomadic tribes had wandered in from other worlds.

  Isle of Talking Beasts

  The name of the Isle of Talking Beasts is a slight misnomer, as the only talking beasts that live there are the magnificent horses. It is a jungle island, thick with trees other vegetation.

  Chinok

  The mountainous island of Chinok was uninhabited, and in truth, unnamed at the time of Water Princess, Fire Prince.

  Silink

  Literally translated as “narrow,” Silink is the narrowest island in Rizkaland, scarcely a mile at its widest. It is mostly sand, and is uninhabited.

  Amber’s Island

  Also known as the Isle of Banishment. Little is known about the geography of this island, for none who have step foot on this island have ever returned, save Amber and her husband Granite. There is a guise on this island where, should you step foot on it, you cannot leave again for another five hundred years. The people of Klarand and Rizkaland send people to this island as a form of capital punishment.

  The Water

  In Rizkaland, water flows in every color of the rainbow, and each color has a different smell, flavor, and use

  Red is the most obnoxious of all of the water. A few brave souls use it as seasoning for a chili-like dish, but most are glad that it can only be found in RivDo. If you get even a drop of it in your eyes, you’re liable to become blind, and many people develop horrid rashes if it touches their skin. If you ask most people, the only purpose it serves is to keep Amber, the Lady Dragon, on Amber Island where she belongs.

  Orange water is predominately used for baking, as it has a yeast-like effect. It is perpetually warm, so many people mix it with their bathwater in winter (which also makes bubbles that can annoy very ticklish people). It smells and tastes of citrus.

  Yellow water is also used in baking – but as a sweetener. It’s a rather sticky liquid, so it is not advisable for people to go swimming in RivMi and the Ria that flow with yellow water. Children like to freeze it for Popsicles. Visitors to Rizkaland report that it smells like bananas.

  Green water is for cleaning. It has a bitter smell and taste, and ingesting it can make you sick. Getting it in your eyes is not advisable either. However, since it’s very useful for washing and sanitizing, it is not shunned like red water.

  Blue water is the most like ours. It is tasteless and odorless, and its primary use is for hydration. It is the most prevalent form of water in Rizkaland, for not only is RivSo the widest Riv, but on the mainland and most islands, a Ri containing blue water can be found at least every ten square miles.

  Indigo water is another one that it is not advisable to drink or let touch your skin ... for the simple reason that it stains. Badly. It has an inky smell, and, having said that, you won’t be surprised that its main use is ink.

  Violet water is similar to green water in that it cleans. The difference is that it is safe to get in one’s eyes, and isn’t harmful if drunk (although some people report that they get the hiccups when they do so.) Violet water is known for being very frothy and good for bathing. It smells like lavender when cold and vanilla when warm.

  The Eight and Ten

  It has been brought to my attention that the list of the kings and queens of Rizkaland is long, confusing, and difficult to keep track of. So I’ve been persuaded to write it out and make it easier. Below is the list of the Eight and Ten, their gifts, their relations to each other, and the children they had once they returned to our world. I’m listing them in the order they are in on the Rizkan calendar, for the days of the week are named for the eight, and the months of the year are named for the Ten.

  Ralph. Husband to Jane, brother to Violet. King of Fire and Electricity.

  Jane. Wife to Jane, twin sister to John. Queen of Fire and Electricity. Children in our world – Tyler, Petra, Sarah, and Sylvia.

  John. Husband to Helen, twin brother to Jane. King of Water and Weather.

  Helen. Wife to John, sister to David and Steven. Queen of Water and Weather. Children in our world – Alex and Louise.

  David. Husband to Michelle, brother to Helen and Steven. King of Rock and Mineral.

  Michelle. Wife to David, twin sister to Michael. Queen of Rock and Mineral. Children in our world – Reuben, Robert, Richard, and Summer.

  Michael. Husband to Violet, twin brother to Michelle. King of Wind and Seasons.

  Violet. Wife to Michael, sister to Ralph. Queen of Wind and Seasons. Children in our world – Edna and Quentin.

  (Summer)

  Klaranse. Husband to Anita. Gifted with Archery. King over all Klarand.

  Andrea. Wife to Klarance. Gifted with Gymnastics. Queen over all Klarand. Children in our world – Kath and Rich.

  Isabelle. Wife to Anselle. Gifted with the sword. Princess over Upper Klarand.

  (Autumn)

  Anselle. Husband to Isabelle. Gifted with Martial arts. Prince over Upper Klarand. Child in our world – Clara.

  Theodore. Husband to Renee. Gifted with science. Prince over Lower Klarand.

  (Winter)

  Renee. Wife to Theodore. Sister to Leah. Gifted with sewing. Princess over Lower Klarand. Lost in a car accident. Children in our world – Andrew, Kyle, Josh, and Parker.

  Aaron. Husband to Leah. Gifted with running. Prince over Ea Klarand.

  Leah. Wife to Aaron. Sister to Renee. Gifted with swimming. Princess over Ea Klarand. Children in our world – Rhoda, Lewis, and Owen.

  (Spring)

  Steven. Husband to Jenna. Brother to Helen and David. Gifted with tracking. Prince over Wea Klarand.

  Jenna. Wife to Steven. Gifted with horses. Princess over Wea Klarand. Children in our world – Kevin and Tina.

  Alphego’s Hill

  As recorded by Bookholder Shanner

  Translated by Kendra E. Ardnek

  In the beginning, Alphego called Rizkaland into bein
g as he stood atop the Hill that bears his name. Alphego’s Hill still trembles at the memory.

  In that same day, the Doorkeeper brought eight children from another world, and Alphego gave them rule over Rizkaland. He made the animals and gave the Eight charge of naming them.

  When they were finished, He brought them Shanner and Fnae, and they called them elves, for they resembled the mythical beings of their own world.

  But then Amber and Granite came to Rizkaland, not by the Doorkeeper’s hand, but with her own magic. Amber was a sorceress who had collected much magic over the four thousand years of her life, not the least of which was the ability to turn herself into a fire-breathing dragon. For this we called her the Lady Dragon.

  Amber wanted the rule over this world, for she had ruled two worlds before this one and thought she deserved a third. But Alphego gave the Eight weapons to hold their ground, and silver boxes like unto the elves.

  To Jane and Ralph, he gave bowls and power over fire and electricity. To Violet and Michael, he gave fans and power over wind and seasons, and it was they who directed the winds that now govern our seasons. To Michelle and David, he gave strings of stones and power over rock and minerals. To Helen and John, he gave harps and power over water and weather.

  The Eight drove Amber and her husband from the mainland, and she settled on the island that would become Klarand.

  Then the Doorkeeper brought ten more children from the Eight’s world, and Alphego gave them rule over Klarand and the skills to drive Amber from it.

  King Klaranse and Queen Andrea were given rule over the whole island, and they chose the bow and gymnastics. Prince Anselle and Princess Isabelle were given Upper Klarand, and they chose martial arts and the sword. Prince Aaron and Leah were given Ea Klarand, and they chose running and swimming. Prince Theodore and Princess Renee were given Lower Klarand, and they chose knowledge and the needle. Prince Steven and Princess Jenna were given Wea Klarand, and they chose tracking and the horse.

  With the help of the Eight, the Ten drove Amber and her husband from this island, but this time, Amber took prisoners. She carried Renee, Theodore, Violet, and Isabelle to her castle, where she placed all but Renee under a spell of ice.

  And so the rest of the Eight and Ten followed her, and stole into her castle in the dead of night and rescued their friends, for Jane and Ralph’s fire could thaw the ice that Amber conjured.

  Then Alphego appeared and spoke the guise upon Amber’s island, trapping her there for five hundred years. He also spoke the prophecy of the Tela Du.

  And so the Eight and Ten ruled this world for forty years, and when they returned to their own world, their children reigned in their steads.

  Through the Mountain

  As recorded by Bookholder Eltwin

  Translated by Kendra E. Ardnek

  Five hundred years had passed since Amber was first banished to her island, and the people of Klarand and Rizkaland had grown secure. Bookdaughter Klora warned them that the Lady Dragon would soon be returning, but few listened to her warning.

  And so it was that the Dragon came and Klarand was unprepared. She slaughtered all of the royal family, save for Princess Lina, who was but a babe in arms, for the Bookdaughter and her husband escaped with the child to Rizkaland, and raised her as their own daughter, for they had no children.

  Fifteen years passed before Lina was told of her true heritage. The Doorkeeper herself came to Klora’s home, and told them that they could no longer hold themselves separate from Klarand, and that Lina must return to take up the fight against the Dragon.

  And so they returned to Klarand in the dead of night. They journeyed to Upper Klarand, where the Lords and Ladies of all four sections hid in the mountains. They were much heartened to see the return of their princess, and at once made plans to take their country back from the Dragon.

  Troops were gathered and progress was made, but when hope seemed brightest, Amber withdrew to the Kastle and shut the gates, so that none could follow her.

  The Doorkeeper took Lina and Klora to the mountain side of the Kastle, and Alphego Himself guided them through the mountain.

  They met with the Dragon, and the battle was fierce, and there Klora met her end.

  The final victory, however, went to the Doorkeeper, but none knew how she did it. Whether she used the Hill that stood at the heart of the mountain, though Klora had disabled it when fleeing fifteen years before, or whether she had used some of her own strange powers, she would not say, but Amber and her husband were returned to their own island, and Klarand was free.

  Lina married Arik, the second son of King Matthew after the line of King David, and they restored the land after Amber’s desolation and ruled over Klarand for many years of peace and happiness.

  Ear of the People

  As recorded by Bookholder Artin

  Translated by Kendra E. Ardnek

  It was in the seventh year of the Water Princess and Fire Prince’s reign that the murmuring began.

  Few can say how or why, and those who do are surely ashamed to admit it, but the people had grown discontent with the peace that Amber’s banishment had brought and began inventing and borrowing troubles for themselves.

  Without the Dragon to blame for their problems, they naturally started shoving the guilt onto the Water Princess and Fire Prince, claiming that, as foreigners from another world, they didn’t care or understand their plight. In their discontentment, they forgot that the duty fell first to the Lords.

  Instead of taking their problems through the proper process of court, the people chose to direct their complaints to Jasmine, the maid who had served the Water Princess since her arrival in Klarand. She was much distressed, for though she was a close friend to the Water Princess, she knew that such matters were not her place.

  It was at that time that Karlos, the son of Lord Abraham, came to the Kastle to serve under the Fire Prince. He and Jasmine had been friends as children, but differing social circles had kept them separate since their childhood adventure. He found her crying in the hall one day and resolved to help find a solution to the problem.

  He first spoke to his own father, and then brought the matter to the Fire Prince. The Fire Prince had been aware of the murmurings, but not the full extent of them. He chose to send Karlos and Jasmine together to speak with the people, hear the extent of their problems, and see what good they could do.

  It wasn’t a simple matter, and hardly solved overnight, and the pair made as many blunders as they had successes, but together they did make a difference and sated much of the people’s discontent.

  The Fire Prince decided to give them the permanent position of “People’s Voice,” and they have ever since carried out their duties to the best of their ability.

  The Saga Continues in…

  Love

  and

  Memory

  When a Queen forgets,

  Her enemies rejoice in her weakness.

  But when the Queen remembers,

  They tremble in fear.

  When a King loves,

  His country rejoices with him.

  But when the love is broken,

  The land is broken, too.

  Can Water and Fire join again?

  Can Love and Memory be restored?

  Other books by Kendra E. Ardnek:

  The Ankulen

  The Rizkaland Legends

  Water Princess, Fire Prince

  The Bookania Quests

  Sew, It’s a Quest

  Do You Take This Quest?

  My Kingdom for a Quest

  Short Story Collections

  Saffron’s Big Plan and Other Stories

  Woodcutter Quince and Other Stories

  Acknowlegdments

  After nearly eleven years of writing, this book has been a journey, to be certain, and like most journeys, I couldn’t have made it by myself.

  First of all, I’d like to thank my mom, who made me turn this story into more than just a gender-swapped rewrit
e of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

  My sister and the friend with whom I created Rizkaland so many years ago. I’m aware that little of the original story remains, but the story that is now is so much more.

  All of the hapless people I rambled to about this story over the years. Also, sorry. I realize you probably had better things to do with your time.

  My young cousins who have been enthusiastically acting the story out since I told them about it.

  Miss Jack Lewis Baillot for posting her typos on Facebook and inspiring me to give my elves boxes instead of bows.

  NaNoWriMo, which gave me the final boost to get this story done this year.

  The lovely team of beta readers and editors who helped me polish this story, including: my grandmother, my Aunt Vivian, Morgan Huneke, Erika Mathews, C. B. Cook, Hope Schmidt, Alyssa, Anna Brie, Sarah, Alea, Hannah, Amanda F. and Amanda B.

  ABOUT Kendra E. Ardnek

  Kendra E. Ardnek is the penname of Kendra Elise Roden, a homeschooled writer who makes her home in the piney woods of East Texas with her parents and three younger siblings. Her previous works include The Bookania Quests, a series of whimsical fairy tale retellings, and The Ankulen, a story of imagination and faith.

  You can find out more about her on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blotspot.com