Brumbletide and the Queen's Doctor's Story

By J. Reese Bradley

Princess Maggie Prewitt has finally exercised her rights as Emily's Head of Castle during the perilous Em Games Triad-and now she's stuck in bed recovering from a severe head injury. Thankfully, the Queen's Doctor is in the house. A jolly king with a twinkle in his eye will be caring for Maggi

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Reese Bradley
• Release date: Apr 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088119075

Book preview

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,

I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20

Chapter 1:

The Queen’s Doctor

­There is a bright light ahead. It comes closer. Or am I going to it? This is it—the end. I am going. I am crossing over. The light grows more and more brilliant—I can almost touch it now. I reach toward it…

Ow! I quickly pull back my hand.

Apologies, Your Majesty. You were tickling my sinuses. Ignatius speaks to me from the flame of a candlestick on the end table by the bed I’m lying in. His white wax drips down into a shiny silver candleholder with a handle.

Pain shoots through my skull, and I squeeze my eyes shut. Where am I?

You are in Emily’s hospital. You took a nasty blow to the head.

Squeak. Magnus has been sleeping on my thigh. He sleepily squeaks his sympathy.

I touch my forehead. It’s covered in bandages. From what?

The dragon head of Soleil Tower somehow fell off the ceiling and landed right on you.

Ugh, I knew I hated that creepy thing. How long have I been here?

Since yesterday.

I close my eyes. Even Ignatius’s soft glow is too much for me. My head throbs. Besides, there is something off about Ignatius that I can’t put my finger on.

You must rest, Princess. There is much to do that I won’t weary you with now. The Queen’s Doctor says you’ve sustained a severe concussion and are to remain in bed for at least a week. Strict orders.

My eyes shoot open. Ignatius! Ow, my head! You aren’t speaking in rhyme!

You noticed. Ignatius’s voice is that of a distinguished scholar.

Has the curse lifted?

"It is lifting. Now that more Emily royals know the truth and can see Brumbletide Kingdom, the curse is weakening."

I close my eyes again. Even this hint of victory is so sweet.

The heavy oak door of the white, sterile, yet still lavishly furnished room opens. A king, a little taller than average, with a golden stethoscope around his neck comes in. Magnus takes flight and gives him a sniff.

Hullo, Princess Maggie, he says kindly. His eyes are dark under his prominent dark brows. He wears thick, round spectacles that make the eyes appear bigger than they are. His nose is somewhat large, and there is a five o’clock shadow around his mouth. A small amount of dark hair—very little at the top—is combed neatly under his golden crown. All of these features are accented in the best way by the gentlest expression.

Hullo. His English is deeper than mine. I find myself mimicking it.

The man stands by my bed, looking down at me with a warm smile as if we are old friends. He holds out his hand. King Jacksie, Queen’s Doctor.

Nice to meet you, sir, I say, trying to manage a smile.

Hello there, pipes the candle on the table.

And hullo to you, sir, King Jacksie replies to Ignatius. My thanks to you for keeping watch over my patient.

Of course, Your Majesty.

The Queen’s Doctor writes something on a clipboard by my bed. You’ve sustained a right nasty head injury. I’m afraid you’ll be here in this bed for quite some time.

Ugh, I have so much to do. I wince. The pain is so much I can hardly keep my eyes open.

"Yes, Princess, but you must rest. Look at the bright side; soon, you will be doing somewhat better. Then you will be just sick enough to stay in bed with stories all day but not too sick to enjoy them."

I smile. Are there any books in here?

To be sure, King Jacksie replies, filling up a glass of water from a pitcher on the end table.

Be careful with that, please, Ignatius says anxiously.

Yes, of course, dear chap. King Jacksie carries the pitcher around the bed to the other end table that holds no sign of life.

I feel two fingers under my chin and open my eyes to see the Queen’s Doctor has the glass ready for me to drink. He gently helps me sip the water that is like a glacier on a tropical island. After a few sips, King Jacksie fluffs my pillow. I will go fetch you some books, but I doubt you’ll need them. His eyes twinkle as he turns to leave. He glances around the Hospital Wing as if he sees something the rest of us can’t. To be sure, there’s no shortage of stories to be told around this place. Yes, fantastic stories here. He opens the heavy oak door. No shortage of stories in this place at all.

Chapter 2:

This Generation

Not long after King Jacksie has gone, there is a knock on the door, and to my delight, Atticus and Calysta peek into the room, both dressed regally in their Emily gowns and crowns. Magnus squeals with joy. I smile as big as I can without it causing too much pain.

You’re awake! says Calysta, and they both hop into the room and come to my bedside. How are you feeling? she asks. Atticus only smiles.

I’m alright. My head hurts. I only woke up a few minutes ago. Ignatius told me what happened, and the Queen’s Doctor paid a visit. He just left.

We passed him in the corridor, Calysta replies. He seemed nice?

He is very kind. There’s something about him.…

Calysta’s eyes widen. Really? You think he’s someone to worry about?

Oh, no, not like that. He had…like a magic about him. He seemed familiar somehow.

Oh. Wonderful.

The three of us enjoy each other’s company a while without saying anything until Atticus finally speaks for the first time since they arrived. I’m glad you’re okay, Maggie. That dragon head hit you really hard. When you wouldn’t come to, I worried that maybe you wouldn’t. He is quiet again. His gown has no pockets, but his hands are folded into make-shift pockets at his sides, and his eyes are on his feet.

I’m okay, Atticus. No need to worry now.

"I’m glad, but it’s not just that. If you had died, I don’t know what I would do. How would we keep this up? This…Brumbletide thing. Both Calysta and I have lost sight of it at times. Literally! We need you, Maggie. If something happens to you, everyone is doomed."

We sit in silence again, but this time it’s uncomfortable.

I don’t think that’s true, Atticus, I say.

The candle’s flame flickers. Ignatius clears his throat. If I may, the princess is right.

Calysta brightens, and Atticus’s brows lift as both draw their attention to the candlestick on the end table.

"You three are young, but this old flame hasn’t died out in quite some time. This generation has yet to see Pippin shake the world as he has in generations past. You don’t know about those times either because you won’t read about them in Pippin’s Puzzle. But in a little while, Pippin will shake this kingdom like nothing you’ve ever seen before. You will see and understand that this was going to happen whether the three of you were involved or not."

Atticus, Calysta, and I are three wide-eyed royals.

Just thought you’d like to know.

Still staring, Calysta replies in her polite way, Thanks, Ignatius. Really.

You’re welcome, Princess.

My friends turn back to my bed. He sounds different, Atticus says.

He isn’t rhyming. The curse is fading.

Blimey! That’s great news. Atticus looks at Calysta, both of them beaming.

Ignatius is right, I tell them. It doesn’t matter if I’m alive or dead; Pippin will do what he will do. I believe that now.

Atticus nods, but I can tell he’s still uncertain. A sharp pain cuts into my forehead. I wince and hold my temples.

Oh, dear, what do you need? Here. Calysta brings the glass of water to my lips and lets me sip. We need to leave you to rest. We just wanted to see you so badly.

Yeah, we’ve been checking in on you after every class since the accident. We haven’t even gotten to talk about what happened!

And we aren’t going to now either. We’ll have plenty of time for that when Maggie is better. Calysta grasps Atticus’s shoulders and directs him to the door. We’ll check in tomorrow, Maggie. Rest!

Bye, Maggie! Atticus calls just before the door closes.

You have two good mates there, says Ignatius.

I sure do, I say, still holding my temples but smiling.

Atticus is right. We haven’t gotten to talk about the miracle that happened after the Em Games.

The Em Games are the most dangerous events in existence, and the young royals of Emily Academy are expected to pull them off every twelve years. I was in charge this year since I am Head of Castle. A horrible athlete, I not only ended up last place in the hideous event known as Tower Climbing but pissed off the whole school when I beat the tar out of Monika Spivey due to a misunderstanding of the rules of Gottfrig’s Grab. But none of that really matters because once we got to the Triad, the three final events of the Em Games, I found out that the equipment used for Quagswag, Erstwhile, and Elflock was all made from the bones of murdered Snickerlings! Unable to control myself, I told the whole school what was really going on. Everything. The truth about Emily and that its beloved Em Games are built on the blood of Snickerlings, just like their kingdom. Some people like Jack believed me and could then see the ancestors and Brumbletide. Others, like Graisse Anguis, thought I was lying.

To make matters the worst ever, Queen Mother Felberta, head of Soleil Tower, our Science and Mathematics Department, had accepted a crown as a gift from my dormmate, Thorn. Unbeknownst to the Queen Mother, the crown was possessed by Michelle, the wicked king who betrayed the Six and Pippin and went on to build Castle Emily.

Through Felberta, Michelle almost had seven more Snickerlings slaughtered for their magic. But thankfully, McShanihan figured it out just in time and had Felixus the owl warmouth snatch the crown from Felberta’s head. Once the crown was removed, the Queen Mother was immediately back to her old self and had no idea that she had been used for so much evil.

The Snickerlings being safe was a huge relief, but there was still a big problem—one not guaranteed to be solved. Calysta had been turned into stone during the Triad and, at that point, still stood stone cold in Brumbletide. Soleil suggested having her flown to Queen Mother Felberta to see if she could change her back. Queen Mother Felberta gladly offered but was never able to remedy the situation because none other than Pippin himself showed up and miraculously brought Calysta back to life! But it was immediately after this that all went black, and here I am. And speaking of all going black, my eyelids are getting heavier by the second…

Chapter 3:

Once Upon a Time

My eyes blink open to something rustling. It takes a minute for my vision to unblur, but when