EVERNA The Enchanted Princess, Retold by Alistair Kane - A Fantasy Story for Little Light Bringers Anthology

Princess Celianna of Crawford

EVERNA The Enchanted Princess - Retold by Alistair Kane

In the Wardstone kingdom, nestled in the quaint village of Hick near Crawford city-state, lived an old farmer with his two sons, Austin and Carter. The farmer was in dire straits, struggling to keep his farm afloat. His fields had dried up, his crops had withered away, and his pockets were empty. He called out to his sons, hoping for a glimmer of help.

"Carter! Where are you? I need your help!" the old man hollered.

"Don't bother me, old man! I am taking a nap," came the gruff reply.

"Austin, keep working on that fence, while I go to town," the farmer instructed his dutiful son.

"Yes, father," Austin replied, his hands moving deftly as he worked on the fence.

As the farmer trudged along towards town, his mind raced with worry. "I have to do something before we go broke. I've got to sit down and figure this out," he mused, collapsing beneath a tree to gather his thoughts.

To his surprise, he heard two people engaged in a hushed conversation nearby. His curiosity piqued, he leaned in to listen.

"The King's daughter is locked up in a castle Whedon near Crawford. The guards are a dragon and an old lady," whispered one of the speakers.

"The man who wishes to rescue Princess Celianna has to overcome three tests. People say they are very hard tests. Don't they?" replied the other.

"And those who don't pass the tests are eaten by the dragon," added the first.

The farmer's heart raced with excitement as he listened. "And what happens if someone passes those three tests?" he heard himself ask.

"That man will marry Princess Celianna, and own the castle and its treasure," said the first speaker.

A surge of hope and determination flooded through the farmer as he thought, "Oh, Carter will do it! He will pass those three tests, he will marry Princess Celianna, and he will be the king!"

Little did he know that this decision would set in motion a series of events that would change the course of his family's destiny forever.

==oOo==

A few days later, the farmer handed over his only horse and sword to Carter, hoping that his son would rescue Princess Celianna and bring glory to their family. However, Carter's careless attitude became apparent as he carelessly hit things with his sword along the way. The boy had a cruel heart, as he destroyed an ant nest and threw rocks at little ducks in a nearby lake. As he neared the castle, he spotted a bee hive and hit it with his sword, causing the bees to swarm and sting him.

Despite his injuries, Carter continued to run towards the castle, kicking on the door and shouting, "Hey you!! Open this door immediately! I am so tired. How dare you? Don't make me wait or I'll break it down!"

Finally, an old lady with a sweet voice opened the door, and Carter continued to bellow at her. "I have been here for almost an hour! Are you deaf?" he yelled.

"Oh no, I am not deaf," the old lady replied calmly.

"I have to rescue Princess Celianna. I have to be king," Carter declared arrogantly.

The old lady looked at him skeptically. "Wait, wait. First, you will need to go through three tests," she said.

"Tests? What are the tests? I am not afraid of anything," Carter retorted.

"I will throw these sunflower seeds into the air. They will be blown by the wind, and you will have to pick them up and put them inside this bag, in only one hour," the old lady explained.

Carter scoffed at the seemingly easy test, but he soon realized that it was not as simple as it seemed. The wind picked up, blowing the sunflower seeds in all directions, and Carter struggled to gather them all within the allotted time.

This was only the first of the three tests, and Carter began to wonder if he was truly prepared for what lay ahead. Would he be able to prove himself and rescue Princess Celianna, or would his cruel nature be his downfall? Only time would tell.

==oOo==

Days had passed since the farmer entrusted his horse and sword to Carter for his journey to rescue Princess Celianna. Along the way, Carter had shown his cruel nature, destroying an ant nest, throwing rocks at ducks, and even hitting a bee hive with his sword. Finally, he arrived at the castle and arrogantly demanded entrance, only to be met by an old lady who told him of the three tests he must pass to rescue Princess Celianna and become king.

Carter scoffed at the idea of such tests, but the old lady calmly threw sunflower seeds into the air, commanding him to collect them all in just one hour. He laughed in disbelief, but she shut the door and left him to his task. As the hour wore on, Carter grew increasingly frustrated and realized the task was impossible.

The old lady returned and informed him of the second test. She tossed twelve golden rings into a deep and cold lake, instructing him to retrieve them in one hour. Carter protested, but she merely laughed at his reluctance.

The old lady led Carter to a dark room where three silhouettes stood covered in white sheets. He was given one hour to guess which one was Princess Celianna. Trembling with fear, Carter chose the figure on the right, hoping it would be the correct one. But as the sheet fell away, revealing a ferocious dragon, he realized his grave mistake.

Panic overtook him as the dragon lunged forward, swallowing him whole. The old lady merely chuckled at his foolishness, her sweet voice now revealing a sinister undertone. The fate of the kingdom now rested on someone else's shoulders.

==oOo==

Days passed, and the farmer grew restless. His son, Carter, had yet to return from his mission to rescue Princess Celianna. But then, his younger son, Austin, came to him with a proposal to go to the enchanted castle himself.

"Father, let me go to the castle," Austin said with determination.

The farmer hesitated, still worried about losing another son, but eventually relented. "Alright, son. But I have no horse or sword to give you."

Austin took only a piece of bread and set out on foot towards the castle. Along the way, he stumbled upon an ant nest that had been destroyed.

"Oh, poor ants! Who destroyed your nest? I will help you to rebuild," he said, and spent time assisting the ants in their reconstruction efforts.

Further down the path, he came across a lake where a group of little ducks were swimming. "Oh, poor fuzzy ducks! You must be hungry. Here, take my only piece of bread," he said, offering the bread to the ducks.

As he continued on his journey, he saw a bee hive on the ground and decided to pick it up and put it in a tree for safety. Eventually, he arrived at the castle and knocked on the door. An old lady answered.

"I would like to rescue Princess Celianna," Austin said.

The old lady spread sunflower seeds on the ground and left him to pick them up.

Although he struggled at first, the ants he had helped earlier came to his aid, and together they managed to fill the bag in time for the old lady's return.

The old lady was surprised but then gave Austin his second test: to catch twelve golden rings that she threw into a deep lake.

Austin dove into the water, but despite his efforts, he couldn't catch any of the rings before they sank to the bottom. But then, the little ducks he had fed earlier came to his aid and helped him retrieve all twelve rings.

==oOo==

As Austin stood before the old lady, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Huh. All twelve rings. That's never happened before. No matter. Follow me," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. Austin's heart raced as he trailed behind her, wondering what challenge she had in store for him next.

The old lady explained the third and final test to Austin, and he looked at the three silhouettes covered with white sheets. He studied them intently, trying to figure out which one was Celianna. "They all look the same," he murmured in frustration.

"Think, Austin, think! Which one is Princess Celianna?" the old lady prodded. Suddenly, hundreds of bees flew in through the window and swarmed around the middle silhouette. "It's the middle one!" Austin exclaimed, confident in his answer.

"Oh, the one in the middle, uncover yourself!" the old lady commanded. The white sheet fell to the ground, revealing Celianna, who thanked Austin for solving the riddles and rescuing her.

But their moment of triumph was short-lived, for they saw the dragon became gigantic trying to escape from the tower in vain. But it smashed into the stone wall, and it was only a matter of time before the wall broke down and the dragon flew up to wreak havoc in Crawford.

Austin knew he had to act fast to protect Princess Celianna and the kingdom. He drew his brother Carter’s sword which he picked up from a corner and charged toward the beast, but the dragon was too quick and swallowed him whole before he could land a blow.

But Austin was not one to give up easily. Inside the dragon's stomach, he found the strength to fight back. With his sword, he cut through the dragon's stomach lining and climbed out, covered in its slimy, acidic bile.

Now the master of the castle, Austin and Princess Celianna lived happily ever after, building bee hives and filling the castle's moat with adorable ducklings. Their love story became a legend, inspiring generations to come.

For more children short stories, search for "Everna: Little Light Bringers" anthologies in this blog, platforms or the portal, linktr.ee/evernade. Thank you for reading!