Wicked Castle

By Jenna Bora

There goes the roaring sound of the gunfire, the sharp clang of one sword clashing with another. These were some of the noises that could be heard by an observer of this war. It was the second Knights vs. Warriors War in Siennas history. Anyone who had observed the first war would say that this one has the terror and viciousness of the first one multiplied by five. The first Knights vs. Warriors War happened from 1977 to 1982. It ended with a victory for the Warriors. The second one started in 1992 and ended in 1996.
While this war took the lives of about five thousand innocent people, out of them all, these four were the most noteworthy: Gwyneth and Oliver Hardly and Helene and Richard Woodley. These were the parents of Julianna Hardly and Fae Woodley. Due to this fatal day, Julianna and Fae would never know the life they could have had. But those who know them personally would be certain that if they hadnt fallen into being adopted by the king and queen of Sienna, they never would have met. But because of their vastly different outlooks on life, that would not necessarily be a bad thing. It would make life much more peaceful for their adoptive parents too. But none of that is important anymore.
Now its time to enter the life and meet the parents that they do have.
In one castle . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479766611

Jenna Bora

JENNA BORA is a senior at Burlington High School and lives in Burlington, Vermont with her Mom and Dad. She is a self-proclaimed “bookworm” and has been in love with writing since she was five years old. Whenever she isn’t jotting down a new story idea, she is reading fantasy or romantic novels. WICKED CASTLE is a novel that she originally wrote in November 2011 for National Novel Writing Month. The plot synopsis came to her when she was trying to decide which of her current story ideas should be turned into a novel. This is her first published book.

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Epilogue

Dedication

This novel is dedicated to my family and friends who have supported me through it all. Mom and Dad, thank you for understanding why I had to spend so many hours on the computer every day in November. It’s not easy putting together a full-length novel in a month, but I pulled it off, and I couldn’t be happier. I hope all the work paid off. Enjoy!

PROLOGUE

There goes the roaring sound of the gunfire, the sharp clang of one sword clashing with another. These were some of the noises that could be heard by an observer of this war. It was the second Knights vs. Warriors War in Sienna’s history. Anyone who had observed the first war would say that this one has the terror and viciousness of the first one multiplied by five. The first Knights vs. Warriors War happened from 1977 to 1982. It ended with a victory for the Warriors. The second one started in 1992 and ended in 1996.

While this war took the lives of about five thousand innocent people, out of them all, these four were the most noteworthy: Gwyneth and Oliver Hardly and Helene and Richard Woodley. These were the parents of Julianna Hardly and Fae Woodley. Due to this fatal day, Julianna and Fae would never know the life they could have had. But those who know them personally would be certain that if they hadn’t fallen into being adopted by the king and queen of Sienna, they never would have met. But because of their vastly different outlooks on life, that would not necessarily be a bad thing. It would make life much more peaceful for their adoptive parents too. But none of that is important anymore.

Now it’s time to enter the life and meet the parents that they do have.

In one castle . . .

CHAPTER 1

The beautiful music kept on playing. The king and queen glided across the ballroom floor like they were skating on ice. King Conrad twirled Queen Maribel as perfectly as a ballerina would on a moving platform. A few minutes later, the music stopped. They shrugged their shoulders and let go of their hold.

I don’t know about you, but that dance brought back a lot of memories of the girls growing up. They were pleasant memories, of course. Thinking of them as children makes me so happy to be their mother but also amazed at how I’ve survived all the years of their arguing, the queen said, smiling big and struggling to hold back tears.

As much as I don’t want to dampen your emotions, absolutely nothing like that went through my head while dancing. I was just gazing into your eyes and admiring your beauty, the king admitted, hoping that would get her to change the subject.

Oh, stop it, Conrad. It’s best if we go back to the Heirloom Hall now. I’m sure Julianna and Fae will be up soon if they’re not already, she predicted.

Even if they are, neither of the girls is a little kid anymore. They don’t need a ‘Good morning’ from Mom and Dad to start their day like they’re used to. Frankly, they don’t even acknowledge us most of the time. Let’s just stay here and dance away the rest of the morning. You know you want to, Maribel, he suggested, hoping to persuade her to change her mind.

You can stay here and practice if you want to. But I’m going to go show some love for my daughters. If you decide to join, feel free to come anytime, she said sternly and then walked away with attitude.

~ ~ ~

When she arrived outside the princess suite, she opened the door and saw Julianna getting extremely dolled up.

She was putting some blush on her cheeks when the queen asked, Good morning, Julianna. Where’s your sister?

Oh, you mean freaky Fae? She actually took a break from adding a peachy color to her cheeks to ask that. Then she went back to putting the finishing touches on her makeup as she continued, I don’t know, and I don’t care even more.

That’s really helpful, honey, said the queen sarcastically.

A brief second later, I—Fae—flew by and said, Hi, Mom, bye, Mom. Got to go take Phoenix for a wake-up ride.

Did you eat breakfast? she asked, like any typical concerned mother would do.

Phoenix and I are going to grab a bite to eat in Windrow. Catch you later, I instantly replied and then flew out the door and was gone.

~ ~ ~

Why does that freak have to fly everywhere? I mean seriously, what’s wrong with walking on her feet? Julianna asked critically.

Julia, it’s been ten years and you still can’t accept Fae’s magical lifestyle? Mom questioned her.

No, and it’s going to take a lifetime and then some for me to be OK living with a wizard. I love dresses and tiaras, not dragons and magic wands, she exclaimed, hoping to get off the topic as soon as possible.

All right, well, make sure you put on your lipstick without smudging. Also, you look beautiful as always. Bye, honey, the queen said sweetly and then wandered out into the garden.

~ ~ ~

Julianna continued to touch up her makeup like nothing had happened. On top of that, she turned on her mega boom box, popped in Kelly Clarkson's Greatest Hits album, and blasted the songs to a deafening volume. She continued to live in her fantasy world for the remainder of the morning. During that time, to her, nothing was wrong, and nothing else existed in the world.

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, I was petting Phoenix and giving him the usual morning pep talk. It went a little something like this: All right, Phoenix, no matter what happens, you will always be my little fireball. Now, what region of Windrow should we explore today? Angel Avenue? I suggested. He shook his head and breathed a puff of blue fire. In case someone was curious, blue-colored fire meant no or negative.

What about the Ghosts and Goblins Gate? How about Ivy’s Island? I suggested, hoping he would nod yes to something.

He shook his head no to the Ghosts and Goblins Gate but breathed red fire and nodded yes to Ivy’s Island.

All right then, Ivy’s Island it is. Now, please hold your fire and lie down so I can get on top of you, I kindly ordered.

I hopped on Phoenix’s back, and we flew off into the sky. The wind was a bit more vigorous than preferred, but Phoenix is a skilled-enough flier that he can get through just about any weather condition with no problem.

CHAPTER 2

When we landed in the Haunted Hallow, Phoenix started jittering like a madman at the sight of creepy creatures and the shadows of the Windrow families. After I got off his back, I rubbed his tail in an effort to comfort him and said, Don’t worry, Phoenix, I know how much the Haunted Hollow scares you. Why don’t we fly straight to Ivy’s Island? I’m starting to get goose bumps whenever I look at the shadow of a Windrow ghost myself.

I hopped back on top of him and said, Now, fly away, Phoenix!

~ ~ ~

Back at Sienna Castle, Julianna was doing some exercises with her ballet and ballroom dance instructor, Julio Rodriguez.

Come on, Julianna, give me five more pirouettes. I won’t let you take a break until you do that, he said sternly.

She almost breathed heavy enough to knock over a building fully secured to the ground.

Julianna did four pirouettes perfectly, but when she attempted to do the fifth one, she failed miserably.

Please, Julio, let me take a break. My legs feel like Jell-O, and my mind is spinning in like a million different directions, she complained, hoping that would convince him to change his mind.

He sighed and said, I’ll make you a compromise. You show me your new jazz routine instead of another pirouette, and I’ll give you a twenty-five-minute break. Doing a jazz routine for an extra ten minutes of break time? Does that sound fair?

Yeah, that works for me, Julianna replied with a smile.

Julio turned on the boom box, popped in Bruno Mars’s album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, and jacked up the song Runaway Baby to a somewhat insane volume.

For two and a half minutes or so, Julianna gave the jazz routine all the energy she had left. She executed the grapevines and other steps flawlessly. She even threw in some jazz hands to add a little extra pizzazz.

~ ~ ~

When she finished, Julio had a huge smile of satisfaction on his face.

After that, you definitely earned your twenty-five-minute break. Don’t wander off too far because when you get back, I’m going to have you run through your tap and ballet mash-up routine. See you in twenty-five.

Thanks, Julio, bye! Julianna said quickly and then walked away at a rapid-fire speed.

~ ~ ~

After not much thought, she spent her break flipping through the pages of one of my spell books. Though she was not a fan of magic in any way or sort, she was still curious to see where some of my spurts of poetic phrases that make magic come from.

Anyway, most of the spells were created by me; but the rest of them were written by random witches, wizards, and warlocks from many centuries ago. Some even came from magical beings that lived before recorded time. An example of that looked like this,

Body Shrinking Spell

Written by: Kendrick Alomar (a genie)

Birth date: Unknown

Spell publication date: Unknown

To make someone smaller than their normal size,

you don’t even have to be very wise,

just clap your hands together once, twice, three times.

Say, Miniscule I will make this fool,

and you will hear what sounds like wind chimes.

Warning: Do not attempt this spell on any elf, dwarf, or leprechaun. Their bodies are already the smallest they can be. If you try to shrink any of these beings, there is a 99.9 percent chance that they will explode into a million pieces.

Though it was written in plain English, Julianna was still lost as to how those simple words could make a normal-sized person or being’s body shrink. She found the warning to be the biggest riot. Her thoughts were How can reciting these rhyming phrases cause an elf, dwarf, or leprechaun to explode?

The thing is, as a mortal being, Julianna really didn’t understand how and why these spells had so much power. But frankly, beings like me are citizens of Sienna that she’ll never make the effort to understand.

~ ~ ~

As much as she wanted to read over every spell in my book, she had to get back to rehearsal with Julio.

~ ~ ~

While she ran through her tap and ballet routine, Phoenix and I were wandering around Ivy’s Island in search of any loose treasure. But after what felt like thirty minutes, I decided, Phoenix, why don’t we head over to Angel Avenue or something? It doesn’t seem like there’s any reason to stick around here.

He wagged his tail up and down (which meant that he liked my idea).

We were just about to leave when a gorgeous young woman wearing a crown of flowers and a Hawaiian-style dress walked over to us. Actually, she walked so gracefully, it was almost like she was floating. Her smile was as bright as the sun.

Hello, I’m Ivy Winter. You two look like you could use some help. How may I assist you? she asked; her voice as smooth as silk.

You’re Ivy? Does that mean you’re the woman who this island is named after? I asked, taking a minute to get over the shock.

Yes, that’s me. Would you mind telling me who you are? she requested, still smiling as bright as the sun.

Oh, of course. My name is Fae and this is my pet dragon, Phoenix. We came here in search of buried treasure. We have quite a collection going. As soon as we collect a piece of treasure from every region in Sienna and Windrow, I’m going to cast a spell that would turn them all into healing stones. That way, I’ll be the only wizard in Sienna who can cure everyone of any illness they have. Anyway, can you help us find some treasure? I asked, really hoping that she would say yes.

As much as I want to help you, unfortunately, there isn’t any treasure worth finding here. But did you say your name was Fae? she asked for clarification.

Yeah, why? I asked, a little nervous as to what I was about to get into.

Does your last name happen to be Winthrop? Ivy asked, sounding like there was something she wanted or needed from me.

To avoid getting caught in a potentially uncomfortable situation, I told a little white lie, No, my last name is Woodley. My real parents’ last name was Winthrop, but they died when I was a baby. Anyway, ever since I was adopted, my last name became Woodley.

Oh all right, I guess I’m confusing you with someone else. I apologize for that. Is there anything else I can help you with? she asked, sounding a little disappointed, but like she actually cared.

Thanks for offering, but treasure is all we came here for. See you another time, Ivy, I said and then hopped on Phoenix’s back, and we flew away.

Flying back to Sienna this time gave us a greater thrill than ever before. From the powerful rush of wind to the breathtakingly beautiful view of both lands, those few minutes were unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. Phoenix was even soaking up the thrill and joy of soaring through paradise.

Though he obviously can’t speak, I could tell he was excited by the way he flared his tail up and breathed puffs of yellow fire (yellow means happy or excited). At that point in time, I let all my worries go and just enjoyed myself.

~ ~ ~

Back to reality, Julianna had finished her dance class with Julio and since then, she began sewing a new dress.

Other than dancing, she would say that sewing is her second favorite hobby. While she loved wearing designer gowns, none of them are made to fit her body as well as her own creations.

Though she fell completely in love with the Sarah Burton dress that Kate Middleton wore for her royal wedding, she doesn’t have any interest in wearing a creation from the creative designer for Alexander McQueen. Also, no matter how many times she was asked the question What dress would you want to be buried in? by Mom or Dad, Julianna always answered, The ocean blue Cinderella dress I designed when I was nine years old. Even though she is now ten years older, the dress still manages to fit her like a glove. I’m positive that she’s done something to adjust the size to go with her developing figure. But every time I question her about it, Julianna denies that she ever did such an atrocious thing. Since she’s not the wizard in the family, I just don’t see how the dress could possibly fit her after ten years.

But I don’t need waste any more of my time or breath on it. Besides, I think my gag reflexes are starting to kick in from talking about her too much. Not another word about the pathetic princess I call my sister. I promise.

CHAPTER 3

Despite our disappointment of not finding any treasure on Ivy’s Island, Phoenix and I did not let that completely bum out our moods. In an effort to forget about that, I asked Phoenix if he wanted to play a game called Find Austin. The goal was in the name: to search everywhere in Windrow until we found Mr. Austin Livingston.

~ ~ ~

After flying through every region, I finally spotted Austin coming out of a toy shop in the Dwarves and Dragons’ Dome.

Phoenix, I found our target, I said with pride and then tapped his tail and directed him to Austin.

Phoenix flew down and landed right in front of him with grace and ease.

He was a bit taken off guard but also couldn’t stop smiling because he was that happy to see me.

Hey, Fae, what’s going on? he asked in a voice that sounded like he was cool and relaxed.

Phoenix and I attempted to find some treasures for our collection at Ivy’s Island. But we were unsuccessful, so we decided to fly around Windrow to find you, I explained, making it seem like Phoenix was actually part of the decision making.

All right, well, I was just about to go see Merlin. I have some important magical business to discuss with him. Would you two like to join me? he offered, seeming like he didn’t care if we accompanied him.

I looked at Phoenix for reassurance, and once he breathed a puff of red fire, I knew we were all set.

We would love to, I replied with a smile.

"Great, I’m glad to hear it. Well, we got to make sure we don’t miss the time for visiting hours. Merlin may be the most powerful wizard in the world, but he’s also the oldest. In other words, the man likes to get lots of sleep. Let’s go," Austin said.

He grabbed my hand and I grabbed hold of Phoenix. Austin snapped his fingers and then we were gone.

~ ~ ~

Our landing on Merlin’s Mage Pt. 2, was smoother than any flight I’ve ever taken with Phoenix. Then again, it’s been such a long time since I’ve traveled simply by magic that I forgot how quick and easy it was.

Phoenix and I took a minute to thoroughly observe and study the red and purple brick building that was shaped like a tall, crooked triangle. Neither of us understood why it was shaped like that.

What is this place? I asked, not wanting to think about what it could or couldn’t be any longer.

This is Merlin’s lair. Haven’t you seen this before? Austin asked, surprised by how confused Phoenix and I looked.

We’ve only seen the lair in Merlin’s Mage Pt. 1, which is obviously in Sienna. But I can honestly say that we have never seen this before, I replied, wondering why this looked new to us as well.

Really? he asked again, still in a bit of shock.

Yeah, really, I stated, thinking that I couldn’t be much clearer.

Well, this oughta be interesting, Austin said with a smirk and then led the two of us inside. Phoenix and I were feeling a mix of nerves and intrigue, but we tried to hide them with our emotionless faces.

~ ~ ~

A couple of minutes after Austin rang the doorbell, a spark of magic went shooting through him. The feeling of shock went up his spine, and thus caused him to shake and jitter like he was having a seizure.

After a little while, the feeling of shock calmed down. Right after that, the door swung open and there stood a man wearing a sparkly and velvety blue robe and a matching wizard’s cap (no, not a pointy hat, but a cap). Who is here requesting service from the legendary and powerful Merlin? he asked in a Wizard of Oz-like tone.

Merl, it’s Austin Livingston. I rang you a few days ago and said I had some things to discuss with you. You know, regarding my powers, he explained, hoping that would jog his memory.

A couple of seconds later, the lightbulb went off in Merlin’s head, and he said, Oh yes, now I remember. But I’m not comfortable with letting the young lady and dragon enter my lair. Who are they?

This is Fae and her dragon, Phoenix. They’re good friends of mine. I promise that they’re not creepers. I am also certain that they will not steal anything, Austin replied reassuringly.

Merlin sighed and said, "Well, Mr. Livingston, I trust that you are being honest. Now, I suggest that you three step back as far away as possible. I am about to break the protective charm on my door, which could result in some explosions of magic. The sparks of magic can cause long-lasting effects to your hair; eyes; male, female, or dragon parts; and growth spurt. In other words: back up."

~ ~ ~

After the sparks of magic died down, Merlin opened the door again and gestured for