Prince Oliver and the Malevolent Dante

By Steve Pretlove

The story starts with two young brothers, 12-year-old Oliver and 5-year-old Nicholas, on a cold winter's day. Whilst Oliver goes in search of adventure, Nicholas is kidnapped for a king's ransom, travelling to a magical kingdom where they get caught up in a race to retrieve a magical crystal egg. Unexpected friendships are made along the way as they encounter an array of mythical beasts. Set amidst a rainbow-coloured forest, a fairy resides in her crystal palace, her foe lives in a moated castle. Which one will retrieve the magical crystal egg, and will Oliver and Nicholas make it home again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jul 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528969116

Steve Pretlove

Steve has always been shy and lacking in confidence to the point where he has never dated. College was never an option. Expected to pay his way at the age of 16, Steve left school and went to work as an insurance clerk. Steve only started writing in 2017, just before his father passed away, and his mother passed away before the book was published.

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About the Author

Steve has been single all his life and lives in the house he bought with his parents, who are now both deceased. Steve has never had much confidence in anything he does; his late mother was the one person who truly believed in him.

About the Book

The story starts with two young brothers, 12-year-old Oliver and 5-year-old Nicholas, on a cold winter’s day. Whilst Oliver goes in search of adventure, Nicholas is kidnapped for a king’s ransom, travelling to a magical kingdom where they get caught up in a race to retrieve a magical crystal egg. Unexpected friendships are made along the way as they encounter an array of mythical beasts. Set amidst a rainbow-coloured forest, a fairy resides in her crystal palace, her foe lives in a moated castle. Which one will retrieve the magical crystal egg, and will Oliver and Nicholas make it home again?

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my parents, who looked after me when I needed looking after, cared for me when I needed to be cared for, and loved me unconditionally.

Copyright Information

Copyright © Steve Pretlove (2019)

The right of Steve Pretlove to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528937467 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528969116 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Chapter 1

Percival’s Return

As the branch snapped and fell into the lake, it took with it, the two young boys who had been climbing in the tree. The water shot into the air like an erupting volcano, and the branch drifted across the surface of the lake, carried away by the ever-expanding ripples. Where the boys had fallen, the water was still, its glassy black surface shone in the daylight. The water was icy cold, but not frozen. It was late February. The older of the two boys surfaced, gasping for air as the freezing cold water had taken his breath away. Oliver spun around in the water searching for his younger brother, Nicholas. He was nowhere to be seen. He took a deep breath and dived below the surface, the water was murky, and he could not see anything. He tried searching the bottom of the lake with his hands, he flinched as something moved beneath his fingers. He moved his hand forward once more. There was nothing there but the silt that lay thick on the bottom. He had to surface again for he needed more air. He was losing all feeling in his arms and legs, but, again, he took a large breath and forced himself to dive below the surface of the icy water for the second time. Still, he found nothing. As panic sat in, he had to come up for air once more. Only this time when he surfaced, he spotted his younger brother lying on the bank. He swam towards the bank with great difficulty, his clothes were weighing him down, and with no feeling in his legs, they were no use. Fortunately, he was a strong swimmer and he made it to the bank using just his arms. The next problem Oliver had was hauling himself out of the freezing cold water. He called to Nicholas, there was no response. Through sheer determination, Oliver dragged himself from the lake. His hands were blue with cold, and he tried to stand, but his legs buckled, and so using just his tired and aching arms once more, he pulled himself across the frozen ground. When he finally reached Nicholas, he didn’t know if he was dead or alive, but now completely exhausted, Oliver collapsed next to his younger brother, and passed out.

Oliver woke suddenly in a cold sweat. It felt like a dream, for as he opened his eyes looking up at the ceiling, he recognised his bedroom, and he was warm and dry. Only when he looked across at Nicholas’s bed, did he realise it hadn’t been a dream. The three princesses were sat on side of the bed with their back to Oliver. On the opposite side of Nicholas’s bed sat their father, King Richard. The worried look on Richard’s face told Oliver all was not well with Nicholas. Oliver tried to sit up in bed but was too weak, and so he lay there listening. The court physician was telling King Richard that the next couple of days would be critical to Nicholas’s survival, he must be kept warm, and someone will have to watch over him, all the time.

As the physician left, Richard began to sob, and one by one, all three of the princesses ran past Oliver’s bed in tears and left the room. Oliver lay silently in bed and the tears flowed as he listened to his father sobbing. Slowly, the sobbing faded as Oliver once more drifted off to sleep. When Oliver next woke, the room was dark, apart from the glow from the fireplace, and one candle beside Nicholas’s bed. A solitary figure sat beside Nicholas’s bed, it was their father. He was leaning forward holding Nicholas’s hand and praying. Oliver called to his father in a whisper, there was no response. He called louder to his father. This time, King Richard let go of Nicholas’s hand and, gently, placed it on the bed. As he left Nicholas’s bedside, he picked up the candle, then carrying the candle Richard crossed the room to Oliver’s bed. In the glow of the candlelight, Oliver could see the anger and pain in his father’s face. I’m sorry, said Oliver. Richard went to say something, but changed his mind. He knew he might say something he would later regret, and so, he turned his back on Oliver, and retook his position beside Nicholas’s bed. In doing so, Oliver felt spurned, and was just as hurt as he would have been if his father had said he blamed him for what had happened. Oliver cried quietly into his pillow and fell asleep.

The next day, Oliver was feeling slightly better and the court physician gave him permission to get out of bed, but was told not to overexert himself. And so, he went and sat next to Nicholas’s bed. King Richard had momentarily left Nicholas’s bedside and was shocked on his return to see Oliver sitting there. He blamed Oliver for what had happened, and seeing him sat there, while Nicholas was fighting for his life was too much to bear. Anger rose from the pit of his stomach up into his chest. Get away from him, bellowed Richard. Haven’t you done enough? Oliver tried to explain what had happened, but Richard was in too much of a rage to listen. Oliver had never seen his father so angry before, and for the first time in his life, he was truly scared. He left Nicholas’s bedside, and raced across the room and climbed into his own bed, neither of them spoke another word.

Two more days passed. Oliver was having his meals in his bed, as requested by the court physician. Richard was refusing to eat, as he kept vigil by Nicholas’s bed. It was late afternoon when Nicholas finally stirred. Richard had fallen asleep and his head was resting on Nicholas’s bed. Nicholas stroked his father’s hair as he became aware of his surroundings, then he coughed. Oliver, who had been reading, looked across to see his brother was awake.

Father, Father, he called, and Richard opened his eyes to feel the small hand stroking his hair. He sat up with a smile on his face, and tears in his eyes. He thought he had lost Nicholas forever.

The first words that Nicholas uttered were, I’m sorry, I know I should not have climbed that tree. When the branch began to break, Oliver tried to rescue me, but then we fell into the water.

That’s all right, said Richard. Don’t worry about that. Are you hungry?

A little, said Nicholas.

Richard crossed the room and opened the door. The guard standing outside was instructed to go to the kitchen and ask for some warm porridge to be sent up. He then crossed the room once more, but this time he went to Oliver’s bed. I’m sorry, said Richard. They both smiled and Richard bent down to embrace his son.

Five weeks had passed since the incident at the lake. Both boys had made a full recovery, and the castle was alive with excitement. Preparations were well underway for the 12th birthday party of Oliver and his three sisters; Alice, Dorothy and Mary. It had been seven years since they had last seen Percival and Berwyn, the giant white bear. King Richard had received word he was on his way to the castle and was looking forward to seeing his old friend again. So now, on top of everything else that he had to organise, he had to keep Percival’s arrival a secret. Every year since that first adventure to find the green-striped zebra, Oliver and his sisters had asked, When is Percival coming back? And each year had been a disappointment, especially for Oliver.

Since Percival’s first visit to the castle, there had been some dramatic changes. King Richard had a new son, Nicholas. He was now five years old, and he looked just like Oliver did at that age, but when Nicholas was born, tragedy struck, and Queen Elizabeth died three days later. The despair that Richard felt at losing his Queen, made him reject his son. The guilt he felt at wanting another child nearly destroyed him. He was completely withdrawn from family life, and nothing anyone said or did could break him free from his depression. For the first eighteen months of Nicholas’s life, Richard ignored his existence. It was the nannies who raised Nicholas, along with the other four children. The three princesses adored their younger brother, it was like having a living doll to play with, until he needed changing. Then it was, Nanny, Nanny, Nicholas has pooped himself again. And the three princesses would go off and play by themselves. Oliver was not so interested in Nicholas, only because he could not do any of the things Oliver loved to do, like climbing trees, and swimming in the lake, and fighting imaginary dragons. But Oliver would dream of the day when Nicholas was older, then he would show him how to do all the things he loved doing.

Richard’s attitude changed towards Nicholas on what would have been Elizabeth’s birthday, 13th August. Nicholas was just eighteen months old and he was in the castle gardens with one of the nannies. At eighteen months old, he was quite fast on his feet, and the ageing nanny was not as fast as she used to be. The three princesses were playing down by the lake, it was the middle of summer and very hot. Each had a parasol to protect them from the sun, they were having a tea party with their dolls. The nanny had decided to keep Nicholas away from the lake because of the dangers. Oliver was off somewhere doing his own thing. Nicholas, who had been watching his sisters, suddenly made a dash for it. The nanny, who had been kneeling on a blanket, struggled to get to her feet, her stiff joints meant this was a slow process. By the time she was fully upright, Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the brilliantly bright sunshine, she called to the princesses as she limped across the lawn, Is Nicholas with you? But before they answered, she could see he was not there with them.

Once again, she called for Nicholas, still no answer. She repeatedly called, with fear and panic building inside herself, she began screaming. Nicholas, Nicholas where are you? She was spinning around, looking in every direction, making herself feel dizzy, but he was nowhere to be seen. Her screams were heard from all areas of the garden, the three princesses were the first to reach the nanny, and as she continued to scream for help, they all began to cry. Next to arrive were two of the castle gardeners. What a scene they came across, three princesses bawling their eyes out, and a nanny who was so incoherent, they struggled to work out what was wrong. The two gardeners managed to calm the nanny down, and between sobs learnt that Prince Nicholas was missing. Just then, four castle guards came dashing across the lawn to investigate what all the screaming was about.

One of the gardeners explained, and one guard took control, King Richard is in the west wing, go find him and inform His Majesty of what has happened. As one of the guards went in search of the King, the others spread out across the lawn calling for the young prince, Nicholas. The guard raced up the castle steps and into the west wing. He found King Richard sitting in front of a portrait of his late wife, Elizabeth.

Your Majesty, he said. Richard raised a hand, he wanted silence. He always sat alone on her birthday, in silence with his memories. But, Your Majesty, Prince Nicholas is missing, blurted out the guard. There was no visible response. As Richard sat in front of the portrait of Elizabeth, with his back to the guard, tears filled his eyes and began to stream down his cheeks. He felt guilty over her death, but now he was letting her down once more. He dried his eyes and turned to face the guard.

Lead the way, he said. As they made their way out of the castle and into the garden, they were greeted by Oliver, who just happened to be holding hands with Nicholas. Richard and the guard were stunned to see Oliver with his younger brother, who was covered in dirt. Where on earth did you find him?

Oh, he was just about to go down a rabbit hole, said Oliver. I just caught him by the ankle before he could disappear. What’s all the screaming for? he asked.

Richard laughed at the sight of his two sons, and the innocence of youth. That’s nothing for you to worry about, said Richard. He sent the guard to let everyone know that Nicholas had been found and was unharmed. Richard, smiling, bent down and scooped up Nicholas in his arms, who was giggling away totally unaware of the panic he had caused.

Richard then took Oliver by the hand and said, Why don’t we go and play by the lake? He kissed Nicholas on the cheek, released Oliver’s hand, so he could race ahead, and Richard’s thoughts went to Elizabeth, but instead of feeling sadness, he felt thankful, for the beautiful gift she had given him, and he made a promise that he would never again abandon any of his children.

The nanny, who had been looking after Nicholas, was in a terrible state. Even after having been told he was safe and unharmed, she could not forgive herself, and decided it was time she left the palace and the care of the young royals to someone more capable of looking after them and keeping them safe. She had a younger sister she could stay with. King Richard made her promise that if she ever needed anything, she would ask for help. And after all the years of loyal service, if ever she wanted to visit, she was always welcome. That was the day that changed everything for Richard, the thought of losing his son on his wife’s birthday was just the shock he needed. After his wife had died, he had shown no interest in anything, now he had the rest of his life to live, and to raise his five children.

It was still two days before their birthday and the preparations were in full swing. Richard’s sister, Queen Ophelia, and her husband, King Oswald, had arrived early to help with getting everything ready. They had a baby girl of eleven months whom they had named Elizabeth, after asking Richard if this would be acceptable, he had given his blessing and he loved her dearly. The three princesses were happy to look after their younger cousin, which meant her parents could help with the preparations for the big day. Oliver and Nicholas were now inseparable. Now Nicholas was five years old, Oliver had taken him under his wing and shown him all the best hiding places in the castle gardens. Oliver also knew all the secret passageways within the castle like the back of his hand, and now Nicholas knew them also. They would climb trees together, and swim in the lake. Oliver now had a real sword, and had passed on his wooden sword to Nicholas. They would practise sword fighting together, sometimes fighting each other and sometimes fighting alongside each other against a mysterious foe, often a fire-breathing dragon.

Oliver still liked to sneak out at night with a candle to watch the animals come out after dark. This had been something he had been doing since he was five years old. Only now, he had Nicholas to keep him company, but Nicholas could not always keep quiet, and lost interest if the animals didn’t show up straight away. And so, Oliver would sometimes go alone, waiting to be sure Nicholas was fast asleep. He would take a lit candle through the secret passage way and make his way across the lawn and into the woods. He climbed the same tree he always had. First on the scene, as always, were the foxes, and as they moved on, the badgers appeared. Nicholas loved watching the badgers, and for some reason, the badgers seemed to love Nicholas. Whenever they appeared, he would climb down from the tree where he had been waiting and they would come to him. Oliver stayed up high in the branches. The older badgers were a bit more cautious, but the young badgers showed no signs of nervousness with Nicholas, and as he sat on the ground, they clambered all over him, licking his face and ears just like a young puppy would, they seemed to realise he posed no threat to them, and so, was accepted. The closest Oliver had to this experience was the time he fell from the tree and landed face to face with one of the adult badgers. He had been five at the time, that seemed so long ago now.

Oliver and Nicholas shared a bedroom, the one with the connecting door to their sisters’, the one with the door that led to the hallway with the animal heads mounted on the walls. Oliver no longer played in this hallway, that was now the responsibility of Nicholas to fight those fierce beasts and keep the castle safe. Nicholas seemed even more determined to fight the wild animals than Oliver did at the same age. Maybe this was because Nicholas had heard so many times of the adventure Oliver had been on, and so played it out down the hallway almost weekly.

With just one day to go before their 12th birthday, the final preparations were well underway. A week ago, there had been snow on the ground, which was not unusual for late March, but that had all melted away and today was the 1st of April, and so this was April fools’ day. To keep them out of the way, Queen Ophelia had arranged for the royal children to be taken to the local village. They had not ventured to the village since their mother had died, five years earlier. They were to be dressed as peasants, accompanied by a dozen guards, also dressed as peasants, so as to blend in and not be recognised. The three princesses found this very exciting, as did Nicholas. For this was his first ever venture away from the castle, down to the village. Oliver was not so easily impressed, but wanted to go all the same. They arrived at the outskirts of the village on horseback and left them tied up, with two guards to look after them. As they entered the village, the first thing they noticed was laughter, loud and raucous laughter. Oliver wanted to investigate, alone, and so he stopped and bent down pretending to tie his shoe. One of the guards noticed and stopped also.

It’s all right, said Oliver. I’ll be right with you. The guard turned away to look in the direction the others had gone and when he turned back a second later, Oliver had disappeared.

Damn that young prince, the guard muttered to himself. I knew he was up to something.

Oliver had made his way to the main square in the village. There was a crowd of people gathered. Oliver managed to push his way through to the front, where he found himself standing next to a young lad. What’s going on? he asked.

The young lad looked at him in a suspicious way and said, What? He looked Oliver up and down and asked, Who are you?

Oh, I’m Oliver, and you are?

Henry, said the young lad.

So what is going on? Oliver asked again.

"It’s a game called Stag