Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys: The Nine Gifts of Theodosia, the Final Question, Kenelm's Quest, Yedda Sings

By Analynn Riley

Without a queen, half the kingdom shall perish. For centuries, The Curse has held power over life in the kingdom of the Mountains and the Valleys. When the queen dies, Prince Enos ignores the warnings of his father, the king, and sets out to rule alone. While the Mountains flourish, the Valleys begin to perish. Will Prince Enos find a maiden who can save the Valleys? Can Theodosias gifts break the power of The Curse? In The Nine Gifts of Theodosia, discover the first secret of the legend in the kingdom of the Mountains and the Valleys. Summoned to the queens court, Sabella sees her world unravel. Will the queen send her to prison, leaving her children destitute? Hope wanes as Sabella hears the answer to The Final Question. Banished to the far Eastern Valley, Kenelm storms the imperial court, demanding justice. Will he ever see his wife and children again? Pride and greed soar through his veins as Kenelms Quest begins. Follow the remarkable journey in Yedda Sings as the fair maiden travels from one village to the next in search of Gods will for her life. Will it be the wisdom of ancient teachings, the traditions valued for generations, or the wealth and power offered by a handsome suitor that charts the course of Yeddas tomorrows? Enjoy a heartfelt look into the lives of inspiring characters whose adventures unlock the secrets of the Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449783709

Analynn Riley

Analynn Riley has been writing children’s stories for as long as she can remember. By age seventeen, her play for marionettes, complete with soundtrack, was produced by the YMCA for their children’s summer program, Theatre in the Park. The following year, Analynn’s poetry and non-fictional articles were published in her university’s newspaper. Analynn obtained a teaching degree with a specialization in English Literature and Language Arts. When home-schooling her children, Analynn wrote Root for Reading, a collection of sixty primer readers. It was during this same time that the book, The Nine Gifts of Theodosia, was in print. Teaching in China prompted the release of Analynn’s online novel, Mystery of the Singing Ghost, with Study Guide, which continues to entertain readers worldwide. Having always lived in cities, Analynn and her husband took the plunge in 1999, and moved their young family to rural Canada, where they continue to find joy in the beauty of rolling fields and expansive skies, long walks with their dogs, and above all, the warmth of loving family and friends. Their century old farmhouse provides the perfect place to write, study, and compose music. Analynn, also an accomplished singer and harpist, is currently enjoying studies towards a doctorate degree. Analynn’s pastime activities and interests include kayaking, cycling, skating, skiing, snow-shoeing, hiking, travelling, and studying art, languages, and the science of Psychoneuroimmunology. Hear clips from Analynn’s audio book, Teddy Meets Kiboko, and download her musical compositions by visiting www.analynnriley.com.

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Copyright © 2002, 2013 A. Olson-Riley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8371-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8370-9 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8372-3 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013902079

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/29/2013

Contents

Preamble

Preface

THE NINE GIFTS OF THEODOSIA

THE FINAL QUESTION

KENELM’S QUEST

YEDDA SINGS

Study Guide

General Discussion Questions

Scripture References

About the Author

For Jessica and Shea

With special thanks to my husband Doug

For his constant support and inspired illustrations

And in remembrance of Mother Anne

Who encouraged me to publish my

First children’s story when I was 17

Illustrations

Enos and Theodosia’s Kingdom of the

Mountains and the Valleys

By Douglas V. Riley

Photo of Analynn Riley

By Douglas V. Riley

The fruits of the Spirit are

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,

Gentleness, Goodness, Faith,

Humbleness, and Self-Control…

But the greatest of these is Love.

—Apostle Paul

Preamble

Some of the places and characters in this story have distinctive names. Below is a pronunciation guide that can be of help, especially when reading aloud:

407944ARileyTABLE1PREAMBLE17Jan2013.pdf

(Preamble continued…)

You will notice that capital letters (upper-case) are used for common words that serve as official names for places in this mythical kingdom—such as, Marshlands, South Valley, East Mountain, East Valley Village, Place of Worship, and so on.

Preface

Our children were only babies when I began my search for literature that was entertaining, but also educational, inspirational, and that presented virtues and positive values for everyday living. Our son and daughter’s appetite for new stories was insatiable. My library card allowed me to borrow forty books at a time, so every two weeks, each child would choose fifteen books and I would choose the last ten. We also joined a book club that specialized in shipping reasonably priced children’s books directly to our house. Books were bought as gifts to celebrate special occasions (I still buy children’s books for family and friends of all ages!). Our collection of literature written specifically for children eventually consumed an entire wall in our home.

Creativity abounded. As pre-schoolers, our children would take their stuffed animals and create their own stories and plays, complete with props and costumes that they made themselves (it’s surprising what one can dream up with a roll of toilet paper!). One rainy day, they borrowed our video-cam to film a major scene from one of their stuffed-toy dramas, and twenty years later, our family is ever again enchanted when watching that imaginative video.

The importance of creative storytelling was augmented after a family reunion at one of the many beautiful lakes in British Columbia, Canada. As uncle’s speed-boat skimmed the placid lake, the wind whipped through our hair, snatching my three-year-old daughter’s favourite hat. Moments later, the water-filled hat could be seen sinking rapidly through the darkening depths to the bottom of the lake. Explanations did little to appease our daughter’s lament over the loss of her special hat. Her lament eventually did fade when I began making up stories about the adventures of a brother and sister who found a mysterious hat near a lake.

Recognizing our children’s need for original narrative, Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys was born. The first story in this collection, The Nine Gifts of Theodosia, was written in 1995, and was initially presented in a colourful, illustrated, large-print book designed specially for early readers. In that book, my husband’s drawings included our daughter and son as the princess and prince, thus making the story even more meaningful. The impact of that 1995 publication was greater than we could ever imagine, for our daughter still watches period-piece films and reads historical novels about monarchs and kingdoms of old. In this volume of Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys, I wanted to be sure to include at least one of my husband’s sketches from that original book, which you can find in the front matter.

On a more personal note, the nine gifts that Theodosia presents to the prince are based on the fruits of the Spirit, as found in the Holy Bible, which have further become the criteria I use to spot-check my own spiritual state. When life goes sideways, I run through this checklist, identify which fruit, if any, is lacking, and subsequently make a course correction as needed. This tried and true standard provides great solace for me in a world of psycho-babble and the imposing opinions of others.

Wisdom literature and stories revolving around themes of injustice and the forgiveness of the unforgivable, consume considerable space in my own book collection. My heart aches when thinking about the treachery and injustice that continues around the globe. I am sorely reminded that wisdom is a precious commodity when travelling to lands both wealthy and poor; when trekking through castles with their ancient dungeons and torture chambers; or when spending hours in museums, libraries, and galleries, all of which attest to the sadism of humankind. This passion for wisdom and justice is fundamental to the second and third stories in Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys, The Final Question and Kenelm’s Quest.

In Yedda Sings, four stories about a young maiden named Yedda, the maxims, …To thine own self be true, (Shakespeare, Hamlet: Act I, Scene 3), and, As a man thinketh, so is he, (Proverbs 23:7), will resonate with readers as they share in Yedda’s adventures.

I have had the remarkable opportunity to be a teacher in both North America and Asia. It is my hope that Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys, with its Study Guide, will provide students near and far with reading materials that support and encourage their English language training, while fostering virtuous and vigorous imagination and creativity.

May Legend of the Mountains and the Valleys bring readers of all ages, enjoyment through wholesome storytelling.

Analynn Riley

I

THE NINE GIFTS OF THEODOSIA

THE NINE GIFTS OF THEODOSIA

O nce upon a time, there was a king who was very powerful, but he was also very, very sad. His wife, the queen, had died. It is not good that I rule the kingdom alone, he thought. Whatever shall I do?

The king had a son whose name was Enos. I will help you, Father, offered the prince.

I am grateful to you, my son, said the wise king. However, without a queen, half the kingdom shall perish.

You think like an old man, dearest father. The curse on the valleys is but a legend. I am young! I can rule. I shall not let half the kingdom die! promised Prince Enos.

The wise old king thought and thought. Perhaps his son was right. Perchance the ancient curse, now generations old, was lifted. After all, the