Riath

By Dawn Mckelvey

Riath is a distant country torn by conflict between the faeries and the woodland elves. But when the last dragon deceives the young, curious princess of the faeries, the two creatures must come together to stop the winged demon from destroying their home. On their quest to cease the dragons terror, they come across all kinds of unique mythical creatures. The faery princess must face her destiny against the dragon as well as battle her developing feelings for the woodland prince. In hopes of winning the war she has caused, and the heart of her kinds oldest enemy, she travels through the magical world of Riath.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Dec 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482825534

Dawn Mckelvey

Dawn Mckelvey, born on April 16, 1995, began writing at the age of ten. When my classmates were instructed to produce creative writing in the form of a single paragraph, I would hand in two to three pages worth. I completed my first novel at the age of fourteen. Seven years later, I still try to perfect both imagination and writing skill. As a child, my friends dreamed of being doctors or lawyers, but all I ever wanted to be was an accomplished author. In our digital world today, it is so important that there are still writings being done and published in paperback. Writing is my passion; sharing it with others to change their lives, my mission.

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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Mckelvey.

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1   Lorelle

Chapter 2   Theon

Chapter 3   The start of the quest

Chapter 4   Prince Lhoris’ Point of View

Chapter 5   How to form friendships with strangers

Chapter 6   Cathen’s point of view

Chapter 7   Shaerah’s point of view

Chapter 8   To Elden we turn

Chapter 9   The Heart of Cathen

Chapter 10 Love and War

Chapter 11 The battle of four armies

Chapter 12 Garrik’s point of view

Chapter 13 Home

Introduction

T he world of Riath was once ruled by fierce creatures… dragons. The primitive people back then worshipped the dragons, thinking they were of divine decent. The dragons were brutal and murdered their different races by the thousands. This went on for many years; some of the races sacrificed their own people to please the dragons. However, there were those who despised the dragons and created an uprising against them. The dragons were difficult to kill because of their tough hides and thick scales as hard as iron. The size of the legion of rebels grew and eventually they defeated the giant monsters. They did not kill every one of the pests, some managed to flee and some hid within Riath. One of them by the name of Theon was said to have burrowed deep in the mountains near what is now known as Faylinn. The land was divided into eight parts for the different races. There was Brokk, home of the dwarves. Then there was Elden, kingdom of the high elves. Then came Alston, home of the woodland elves. The kingdom of Faylinn was next, home of the fae folk and many other magnificent creatures. Carling was next; this was the home of powerful witches and wizards. Finally there were the three kingdoms given to man, Pavia, Bidia and Haelakoth. Three very different kingdoms. The Kingdom of Pavia was situated at a three day ride from the great mountains of Brokk. Because it is so close to the home of the dwarves, they share in the wealth of the dwarves via trade. The people donned themselves in silks and lavish clothing; they were also well fed and lived in extraordinary homes. The Kingdom of Pavia was settled in the middle of Riath, surrounded by vast marshland. The people were not as rich as the people of Pavia but they grew extravagant herbs and vegetation they used as trade. They were well known to trade mostly with the witches and wizards of Carling. These people were known to dress in loose clothing resembling those of a gypsy. Finally, the Kingdom of Haelakoth was situated between Faylinn and Elden. It was a day’s ride from either side; however they did not have anything to do with the fae folk. The fae folk did not involve themselves in the matters of man. The elves offered their aid to the humble people of Haelakoth as these people, unlike their kin, were not rich or lavish in any way. They did not own vast wealth or luxury; however they had enough to sustain themselves and prospered in their own way. Everyone knew everyone else and they were content with the little they have, their king was a good and fair one and they had such love for him. The high elves admired the compassion he ruled his people with and offered them items of trade, without asking for anything in return. The king of the high elves, Khiiral and the king of Haelakoth were known to be the best of friends. Haelakoth was under the sworn protection of Elden. So even though they did not have much they had the trust of the high elves. The high elves tried to live by example and hoped their kin, the woodland elves, would follow their lead. However, the woodland elves had nothing but contempt for their neighbors. The woodland elves hated the fae folk because of how they lived in such beauty and among magnificent creatures. For you see, although as equally as beautiful as Faylinn, Alston was forged from the ancient trees and all was fashioned from its bark. Faylinn was such a breathtaking view. It had flowing waterfalls and sparkling water, evergreen forests and countless pools of jewels. It was said the fae folk lived in homes fashioned in pure gold and marble. The woodland elves waged war on their neighbors in order to claim the land for their own. They underestimated the power of their neighbor and were ultimately defeated. Ever since, the different races have hated each other. There was one faerie that was curious about the world and wondered what lay beyond the borders of Faylinn. She had no idea she was the one to set the events that held the fate of Riath. Her curiosity got the better of her, causing the balance to tip over and turn the age old peace into war. Of course she did not mean to place her home in such danger. She knew she could not face the problem on her own, so, on her journey, she acquired the company of the three other races. Even her enemy; the woodland elves. The small band became the heroes of Riath and their story told for many years. They were admired throughout the continent. It was one of bravery and overcoming what they were accustomed to in order to work together and success. It just went to show that one should not cower in the comfort of home, but to fight for what is right and defend that home. That in order to defeat one’s enemy one should make the enemy one’s friend. No one protects another better than the raging enemy that has become a fierce friend. The young faerie set the stories of the adventures with her friends in the form of a story book. She wrote it in such a way that the reader knew what she thought and how she felt. She managed to ask her newly made friends to write their points of view, and write what she herself did not witness. The book had only recently been found and read by a youngling, who then gave it to an elder to read. Its contents spooled out into the open for all to read…

Chapter one

Lorelle

324th year of the Second Age:

A eval, the queen of Faylinn, lay on her back in agony. She had heard the pain of birth was far worse than she would know, she did not believe her companions. She regretted not asking for the numbing potion before giving birth to her newborn. It felt as though her innards were splitting open to release a new faerie into the world. She was overcome with the excitement of giving life to another. She wondered what species of faerie her infant would be. She was a Falco but her late husband, rest his gentle soul, was a Columba . She could not wait to see what her little baby would be. She was so concerned on the gender and species of her infant that she did not prepare herself for the intense pain that was to come. It felt to her as though her pelvis would break in two. Her body broke out in a sweat from the effort of pushing out the infant. Not only from such an effort but also the intense pain her fragile body endured. She squealed and clutched tightly to the hand of one of their nurturers whilst another assisted the infant in finding its way into the world. Her heart broke for her husband who could not be there to witness something as beautiful. The war with the woodland elves had made sure of that. She had hoped her husband was there in spirit to see their child take its first breath. She silently cursed him in her head for putting her through such agony. One final push would release the infant from the comfort of her body. The poor thing, for inside of her was all it knew. It would see the world for the first time and had to adjust to its surroundings. She would help the helpless newborn and protect it with her life. She cried in relief as the sound of its wails reached her ears. She laid her head back against the headboard of her bed. The nurturer smiled up at her as he held the crying newborn in his arms. It had not been cleaned but she did not care, she held out her arms to hold her newborn. The nurturer smiled and cut the cord that still attached the infant to its mother. She could not help but feel saddened that the attachment to her newborn had been severed. That feeling dissipated as quickly as it had formed after she laid eyes on her baby girl. Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of the queen of Faylinn. The unconditional love she felt for the little squirming newborn was unfathomable. She held the scared newborn to her chest and cooed at her to calm the baby girl. She whispered that the little newborn would never have to be afraid again, the queen would protect her. She thought how tiny the little faerie was in her arms. Her heart almost leapt from her chest as the little hand of her baby wrapped around her finger. Her beautiful little girl looked her in the eye and ceased her wriggling. Aeval thought that nothing in the world could ever have made her feel more special. That little faerie knew who her mother was and proved it to her. She smiled down at the newborn in her arms and wriggled her held finger. One of the nurturers stood beside her and smiled at both the queen and the new little princess.

Have you thought of a name for her yet, Majesty? He asked.

I have, Queen Aeval laughed, Lorelle is a well suited name for such a beautiful newborn.

936th year of the Second age:

I was only a curious child then. I did not understand that I was different to my mother, the queen. I did not understand why my wings were different to hers. Hers were different shades of brown and so big that they dragged behind her. To me she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She always told me I looked more like my father than her. I remember this upset me because I wanted to look just like her once I was full grown. She had perfect blue-black ringlets that cascaded down to the middle of her back; her pale skin complemented the color. Her eyes were twinkling pools of blue with a touch of brown spots in the middle. The curve of her face was firm and gave her very set features. Although the only thing different about her was her pointed, pixie nose. Otherwise she had perfect almond shaped eyes and full, crimson lips. I remember running to her with a butterfly cupped in my little hands whilst she was getting ready for a function. I never understood why she would dress up every few months. It was all a game to me, as it is to all young children. She laughed at my enthusiasm and bent low so I could look her in the face.

Butterflies are the beauty of the world, she told me, they are fragile and very playful. Just like you, my little starlight.

I remember she then hoisted me up against her hip, even in her extravagant gown, and took me to the balcony to release the butterfly. The two of us watched as it fluttered away into the world. I wriggled out of her arms and bolted after it, hoping I might see where its home was. My wings were still a bit too heavy for me and caused me to trip over my dress. One of the nurses chuckled and picked me up, placing me on my feet again. As soon as my feet touched the ground I was off after the butterfly once more. I just really wanted to see where the butterfly went home to. When outside something distracted me, as all things do for children. There was a larger mountain among the others. I wondered why that particular one was bigger than all the rest. A little mouse skittered over my toes as though it tempted me, so I chased it. My nurse caught me before I could catch the mouse and dressed me in my party dress. A sweet little pastel pink gown with little lace frills in the skirt. She pulled my wild auburn tresses into a reasonable braid and finally, after a vicious struggle, managed to put matching pink shoes on my feet. I hated wearing shoes and how they pinched my toes. Once I was cleaned and dressed in my fancy dress, my nurse led me to my mother and her grownup friends. I raised my arms for her to pick me up. She smiled down at the gesture and obliged. I played with the loose strands of her up hairdo, thinking that maybe her handmaids forgot about them. I took her face in my hands regardless of her speaking with her older friends, thinking my question was more important than what they were talking about.

Ma, why is there a bigger mountain than all the other mountains? I asked in complete innocence.

I could not understand why her happy face suddenly turned grim. I wondered if I had done something wrong and my heart began to race. I did not want her mad at me whether I understood why or not. She noticed my frightened expression and her own softened.

Because a scary, old dragon lives on that mountain. I don’t ever want you going to that mountain, dragons are not very friendly. She explained, Here we can protect you from that nasty dragon.

She then growled and tickled my sides, inevitably making me squeal in delight. I forgot all about that mountain. I was scared that if I went to the mountain that my mother would be upset with me. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. My whole childhood revolved around my mother and how much I loved the woman. My curiosity of the world was vast and I had to make friends with at least one of every species in Faylinn. There were five different species of fae folk. There was the Colubris, Columba, Cygnus, Falco and Pavo. I was known as a Colubris because I had wings that resembled those of a hummingbird. Fae folk were classified based on what their wings looked like. The Columba had the wings of a dove, the Cygnus had the wings of a swan, the Falco had the wings of a falcon and finally the Pavo had the wings of a peacock. Each had their own personality traits that majority of them took on. But I only learned that at an older age.

104th year of the Third Age:

I sat on the brim of our sculptured fountain settled right in the middle of our palace’s courtyard. I stared at my reflection in the water, resting my head on my hand. The only thing I inherited from my mother was her pointed, pixie nose. Maybe the set curve of her face as well but even that was a different shape. Her face was longer whilst mine was rounder and more firm. My lips were not as full as hers and my eyes looked Eastern. Even my complexion was different to hers. Mine was a darker, olive tone and she was as pale as parchment. Her hair was a blue-black color and curly whilst mine was auburn and fell in wild waves to my lower back. Even our choice in clothing was different. She chose long, extravagant gowns whilst I chose shorter, less extravagant dresses. I still hated wearing shoes but I covered my feet in silk straps that I wrapped around my long legs. I was disappointed that I did not grow to look like her. Although, there was one thing I admired about myself that my mother did not have. My wings were a beautiful emerald green with tints of blue and purple and my outer feathers were a darker green at the tips. True hummingbird wings on the back of a faerie.

Admiring yourself in the reflection again are we, Lorelle? My best friend, Cathen, teased.

She was a Pavo. It was not uncommon that a Pavo and a Colubris would become friends. The species had a lot in common with each other and got along better with each other than the other species. I stuck my tongue out at the other faerie as she perched herself beside me. I thought she looked magnificent. Her wings were such a deep royal blue and the patterns on the tips of her wings resembled big, round eyes. I was envious of her wings and she was envious of mine. Her hair was a very odd color, although it complemented the color of her wings. The best way to describe it would be a very light gold color. Almost white but had a gold tint in it. The waves that fell to her lower back were tamer than my own. She had a paler complexion that suited the royal blue. Her features were softer than mine and somewhat