Epilogue
Fandri’s sixteenth birthday was three days away, and the halfling was deeply troubled. Every night he woke in a cold sweat with vision of maidens in white dresses dancing around him, taunting him to choose one of them. Sometimes they were beautiful girls such as he had been offered years ago, but sometimes they were covered in hairy moles, with crooked teeth and leering smiles.
On this morning, he awoke again before dawn and lay trembling with his knees pressed against his chest and his nightshirt drenched in sweat. “Fandri-La, are you awake?”
“Hmm?”
“We have to get away from here, Fandy. We have to escape.”
The faint glow on the floor beside his bed brightened and he saw Fandri-La sit up on her toadstool. “I know. I think it is time we went home as well. This manor house is big, but the winters are so cold. I really miss the other fairies too. I’m sure we could take several ponies and food for the long journey. With all your gold we could hire a guide as well, for we don’t really want to go home the way we came here.”
He scratched the scruffy dark hairs on his chin. “That’s a good point. I do have gold to help pay our way. I feel bad though, leaving while Varl is still away on his secret quest, whatever that is. I don’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
“I’m missing him too.”
Fandri looked at his fairy and saw sadness in her eyes. “He’s got two more days to come home, otherwise we are leaving this place and heading to Southdale. I miss our home.”
His mind filled with images of Emina, the beautiful halfling he loved. He wondered if she had given up on him and was in love with someone else, maybe even married by now. Whatever the outcome, he had to go home and check. He longed to see the waterwheel on the stream and the fields and woods. “My parents! Oh they must have thought me dead years ago. Oh Fandy, yes we really need to go home. I’ll make arrangements today.”
He jumped out of bed and somehow became tangled in the sheet. He crashed to the floor beside his fairy and they both laughed. Their eyes twinkled at the thought of returning home to the small village of their childhood.
The halfling picked himself up and dressed at a rapid pace. As soon as the shoes were laced he raced down to the stables to inform the groom to prepare for a long ride. He then set off for the kitchens, but a sound at the gate interrupted him.
A herald blew a short note on his horn. “Duke Fandri of Chister, may I present your guests: Hani, Lyla and Emina of Southdale with their bond-fairies.”
Fandri stopped in mid-step and his jaw dropped open.
Fandri-La was so surprised that her wings stopped beating for an instant and she started to fall, but recovered just in time. She flew over to the three other fairies and embraced them tightly. “Oh my goodness. You’re really here. I had to touch you to know this wasn’t a dream.”
Fandri shook himself out of the daze and raced over to Emina. His strong arms picked her up and spun her around in delight. “Emina! Oh, my love, I have thought of you every day and night for two years. How in Reloria did you get here?”
Emina did not answer him, but instead showered his face with kisses before locking onto his lips and not letting go. Fandri’s heart raced with excitement and warm feelings ran across his body. At length he pulled away from her to catch his breath and found himself looking into the reddened face of Hani the farmer.
Thoughts of Hani chasing him with a pitchfork popped into his mind and Fandri felt heat creep up his neck and into his face. He loosened his collar.
He shuffled Emina to one side and held out his right hand to Hani. “How do you do, sir?”
Hani’s face betrayed no emotion. “Well, Fandri, Duke or whatever they call you now. I have never been so sick in all my life. I think I threw up every time we crested a wave and I swear that when we get back home, I am never sailing again.”
The halfling stared at him with his mouth open and head tilted to one side. “I’m not sure of your meaning, sir. How did you come to own a ship?”
Lyla and Emina giggled and Fandri looked from one to the other, noticing the passing of time had made Emina even more beautiful.
Hani groaned and kicked up the dirt in the yard. “For a fancy-titled knight, you’re still bit slow on the uptake, aren’t you lad?”
Gangly Prince Varl then entered the courtyard, his laughter was quite uncontrolled and he held his side as though he had a stitch from laughing too hard. “Peace, Farmer Hani. The joke is on Fandri, for he was not aware I had borrowed a ship to retrieve Emina, and of course he was not aware that you would insist on returning with me.”
“Ah.” The penny dropped and Fandri at last realised what had occurred. Varl had gone to fetch Emina to be with him. “How did you know I wanted Emina?”
“Oh Fandri.” Varl shook his head. “You have talked of her every day for the past, almost two years. That and the fact that you have turned down every eligible noble maiden in the Diagro Plains, including my own sister.”
Fandri shuffled his feet. “Oh yeah. Sorry about that. She is a nice girl, but…”
“You are forgiven, my friend. You and Emina were meant to be together. So, she attests at any rate. She also has been waiting years for your return, despite numerous offers.”
“You can say that again. I have never heard of anyone having so much trouble marrying off a daughter.” Hani glared at Fandri who gulped.
“My apologies, sir.”
Fandri knelt down on one knee in front of Emina. “Will you marry me, my dearest sweetheart?”
“Oh yes Fandri. For all eternity.”
Fandri smiled. “The only condition is that we live in Southdale.”
“Yes please.” She looked warily up at the tall knights around them, but they smiled down at the halflings and nodded.
Their lips locked again and her body pressed against his.
A feeling of complete and utter happiness spread throughout Fandri’s body. He felt their fairies embracing through the bond as well.
Time had no meaning in this idyllic state of happiness together, until…
“Ma...a...a.”
Billy goat dug his horns into Fandri’s leg. The wide-eyed halfling looked up to see Hani’s grin as he held the goat’s lead. “Just brought him along to make sure you did the honourable thing. Behave or I’ll let him at you.”
The farmer smirked and everyone laughed.
The goat licked Fandri’s leg and his muscles tensed as an urge to run swept over him.
The end
Artwork: ‘The sword of heroes’ by Quin, grade 5
The adventures continue in...
Elven Jewel
Book 1 in the Hunters of Reloria series
A fantasy adventure for ages 11 to 100. Halfling friends Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies are the first to discover invaders entering their land through a portal, and they embark on a quest to save the Elven Jewel. They leave their peaceful farm village with their fairies and race against time to stop the invaders. They join forces with dwarves, elves, men and a mysterious dragon, and call themselves the Hunters of Reloria. The magical continent of Reloria is threatened by cruel, scaly invaders called Vergai from the wastelands of Vergash. These invaders are intent on destroying the protective elven forcefield and conquering peaceful Reloria. The Vergais’ plan is to steal the Elven Jewel which is the key to the Relorian defence system. The quest is perilous, with numerous encounters with the ruthless Vergai, who are determined to fulfill their mission. The Elven Jewel is stolen and the quest becomes a race to the portal to retrieve the jewel before it can be taken to Vergash. A battle for Reloria ensues where the consequences for the Relorians is death, unless Vergai are stopped.
Hunters’ Quest
Book 2 in the Hunters of Reloria series
Halfling friends, Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies are part of a group of hunters searching for a mage to take them to the distant lands of Vergash to retrieve the stolen Elven Jewel. They thought they knew what the quest would entail,
but with an unexpected new hunter and new enemies, not everything goes the way they had planned. Their quest leads them to many lands including the home of the feisty and mysterious dragons.
The thrilling conclusion …
Dragon’s Revenge
Book 3 in the Hunters of Reloria series
Magical Reloria is beset by hordes of invading enemy ships carrying giants with ocular laser beams. People and creatures from across the land band together against the invasion, while our group of heroes, the Hunters of Reloria, seek to restore the defensive shield to their borders. A savage attack on the dragons’ town decimates the population and leads the surviving dragon to pledge revenge against the invaders. Epic battles with dragons and giants ensue, leading to a thrilling climax.
If you have enjoyed reading Elven Jewel, please recommend it to your family and friends. Kasper Beaumont is a self-published author and relies on word-of-mouth reviews to tell people about the exciting world of Reloria. Many thanks.
About the author:
Kasper Beaumont was born and raised in Australia and lives a quiet life with the family in a seaside town. Kasper has combined a love of fantasy and a penchant for travel in this first book. Kasper started to write, on the urging of friends and family and enjoys watching readers become immersed in the magical world of Reloria.
If you enjoyed Elven Jewel, please read the other books in the series. Check the website for details
https://www.huntersofreloria.weebly.com
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