The Little Kingdom: Tales of the Kingdom of Nogal, #1

By Taylor Gaines

When three unlikely farmers are tasked by the King of Nogal to propose marriage on his behalf to the princess of the neighboring kingdom, they did not expect quite the adventure they found. With the cruel king behind them and fearsome monsters ahead of them, their simple lives were soon cast into something much bigger. This is book one in the series "Tales of the Kingdom of Nogal". Look for book two, "A New Home", coming soon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor Gaines
• Release date: May 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393951247

Taylor Gaines

Taylor Gaines lives in Catonsville, MD, with his wife, also named Taylor. He writes fairy stories for fun on his train rides to work.

Book preview

Introductory Note

From my childhood, J.R.R. Tolkien has been my guide through the land of Faërie, much like Virgil for Dante. And like Dante, my journey is terrible and perilous, full of sorrow and joy. The fairy-stories that come from this land are not what one may first think of when they read fairy. In his essay On Fairy-stories , Tolkien tells what he knows of the subject, reaching near the limits of what can be gleaned from mere discussion of the fairy-stories rather than reading them as they should be. 

According to him,

...fairy-stories are not in normal English usage stories about fairies or elves, but stories about Fairy, that is Faërie, the realm or state in which fairies have their being. Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted.

And further still, "Most good ‘fairy-stories’ are about the adventures of men in the Perilous Realm or upon its shadowy marches."

So, it is not mostly about fairies, but rather mostly about Man, and for Man. Yet, fairy-stories do not include beast tales wherein the characters are functionally men in the guise of talking and dressed animals, but do include real, flesh and fur animals, communing by some magic with people. They do not include traveler’s tales, in which the character is simply removed from you by distance, nor stories in which the fantastical events are explained away by reason of a dream.

Tolkien says that fairy-stories offer four things which other stories may not: Fantasy, the creation (or rather, sub-creation) of a secondary and believable world within the primary world we live; Recovery, the regaining of a clear view, seeing anew green for green and being again surprised by the beauty of the simple; Escape, not in the sense of a traitor from their mother country, but in the way a prisoner locked in their cell prefers to think of the outside world; and Consolation, the necessity of a happy ending, the sudden turning from tragedy to joy which he calls a Eucatastrophe.

To Tolkien, this joy is the most important part of a fairy-story. A tale that in any measure succeeds in this point has not wholly failed, whatever flaws it may possess, and whatever mixture or confusion of purpose. This story is my contribution from the land of Faërie.

The Little Kingdom

Once upon a time, there sat a large castle. It rested in a valley, though was built on the highest hill. And if you stood on the top of the tallest tower, with wide open views all around, you would see a glistening lake dancing at the bottom of the valley, fed by a wide, rolling river from the east and many smaller streams from all directions. Instead of a blue moat, the lands around the castle were a patchwork of the browns and greens which made up the crops and grazing land feeding the castle and its kingdom. Such ruddy colors were in stark contrast to the bright-colored, simple houses collecting into villages, the rainbow of reds, greens, pinks and yellows patterning themselves along roads, streams, and fields. Similar houses were found in outlying fields beyond the far side of the lake, huddled together in families of two or three, or sometimes standing alone quietly as the sole warden of the fief. From the tower, you could, if you squinted, make out the movement of man and animal in the farthest fields. Beyond the fields, fingers of a great forest, like the reaching claws of many beasts, dug into the flesh of the more domesticated land from all directions. Beyond these green, searching tendrils was the forest proper, a dense and dark wall surrounding the land. Beyond the ring of forest could be seen a dark jagged mountain range, like the imposing castles of giants, or perhaps the spiky crown of one really big giant. Luckily, no giants had ever been seen or heard within this ring of mountains; least not outside the realm of storytelling, and even then, not for generations. And such land within this ring of mountains was known as the Kingdom of Nogal and was ruled over by His Lordship King Antonio Cesar Magnificat Humboldt de Gallos.

The Kingdom of Nogal was a noteworthy kingdom of its time due to the formation of its lands.  From the central lake outwards to the encircling mountains, the land sat low then rose steadily and fell down again more steeply on the other side. The steep mountains formed a natural defense against neighboring kingdoms in matters of warfare as well as peace. This served Nogal well as it was also noteworthy for being incredibly small. It was a three day’s journey by foot from the lake to the mountains and two if you had somewhere to be. Most people of Nogal sat low like the land. They were farmers at birth, with some carpenters, blacksmiths, and other crafts makers, but the King did also field a small army. It consisted of around 100 men and 50 horses and roamed constantly abroad. Skirmishes were always decided diplomatically as most other kingdoms had no pretext for war with the isolated Nogal, and there was no honor to be won in routing such a small army. Nogal’s military prowess was the pride of King Antonio, who was also noteworthy.

One day, the normal routine of afternoon fieldwork was disturbed by the approaching hoof sounds of a royal destrier. On its back rhythmically bounced a king’s herald dressed in the all-white, feather-adorned royal garb appropriate for someone of his office. The rider drew the horse to a halt at the edge of a field being plowed and called to the nearby foreman.

I come bearing an urgent message from His Majesty King Antonio Cesar Magnificat Humboldt de Gallos for foreman Callus of the eastern corn fields. Are you he?

The foremen of Nogal oversaw various work projects undertaken in the kingdom, but they also participated in the same work, lived in similar quarters, and received the same rations and wages as lower level workers. It seemed the title granted only admittance to the yearly Foreman’s Feast hosted at the castle, at which the King gave an appearance and a few words at the dessert.

I am he! Callus said, rising to attention with his spade to his side. What message does His Majesty King Antonio Cesar Magnificat Humboldt de Gallos have for me?

Our Lord the King has an urgent message of utmost importance, the herald began, and he requests that you deliver it. He wishes to request the hand of the princess of the neighboring Kingdom of Greensward in marriage, for the love of the Lady and the everlasting friendship and allegiance of her father, the King of Greensward. Our King is so wise and benevolent! Normally he would send his top generals to deliver such a message, but they are currently abroad waging war. And, of course, His Majesty must stay here himself to defend our Kingdom while the army is away, and I myself must stay to serve him. But! ͞ I see your face ͞ fear not! The King is merciful and knows you have never acted as a foreign dignitary nor left the boundaries of the Kingdom. He therefore sends you this message: ‘Head east on the road which runs alongside the Great River, and trust always in my guidance, and you shall find Greensward. And when you get there, I know you will not have the words to say, so say my words that I have had written down for you on this scroll.’, and the herald produced the scroll from the folds of his garments. What is your response to the King?

I say ‘Yes!’, said Callus. A resounding ‘Yes!’ I have been waiting for an opportunity to prove myself to the King for years. And he had. For years, starting when he was first appointed to the post of foreman of the eastern corn fields, Callus had been practicing in secret the skills necessary for his future appointment to a higher post. He acted as banker, jailer, tax collector, bard, royal taste tester, foreman of the north, western, and southern corn fields, foreman of the eastern radish fields, and even as the King Himself among the other servants; although, he had to become even more secretive when the foreman of the eastern radish fields reported his behavior. Please tell His Majesty the King I will leave whenever he commands.

The King commands you to leave at once and to provision yourself as needed, the herald said. Find such men as you see fit to accompany you on this important errand. And, find such gift as you see fit and deliver it to the King of Greensward. Whatever you choose to give will not be taxed this year.

Callus called to two workers in a nearby row, Tom, Rizzo, come here. Tom pulled gently on the reins of the plow and whistled, bringing the oxen with their long, curved horns to a stop. Rizzo, following behind and stopping to plant corn at regular intervals, hung his bag of dried kernels on