Fiction Friday, Realm of Graphice Book Three

Hi all! Here to let you all have an excerpt from my current work in progress! I have been writing my
third book in the Realm of Graphice series, this November. So I thought it would be fun to share a piece from it. Let me know what you all think, and any tips on how I can love my characters more would be awesome. At present I am having a hard time because I killed my favorite one.

 Yeah, so  guess you could say I put it on myself by killing him, but the story brought me no other options. I may need to do some flashback scenes with him in them.

Ok, anyway, here is an excerpt involving Luna and Samuel's son, Shiloh. He is training under Ulrica, who also trained Ember (missing you Ember!) and Samuel. Hope you like it!

Excerpt from, Realm of Graphice Three (name in the works)

Study Time with Ulrica

Ink stains and stacks of scrolls. That seemed to sum up Shiloh’s life. He groaned as he slumped his head over the scroll in front of him, the words morphed together as his mind took over once more. He dreamed of the days when he trained with his grandfather, secretly longing to one day join the guard of the Realm. His father would have none of that. He knew that was for sure, but he couldn’t help longing for it. His parents took care of the Realm as King and Queen, was it wrong for him to long to help care for the people they loved? Shiloh tried adjusting her collar as it seemed to cut off all air flow. He resulted to a frustrated tug at it, then slouched in his hard seat over the scroll once more. 

“Prince Shiloh, please do sit up straight.” Sir Ulrica’s old gravely voice called across the study. 

Shiloh straightened his back on command, holding back an eye roll that threatened to come. He could sense Sir Ulrica’s searching eyes all over him as he critiqued his every action. Shiloh tried refocusing on the words in front of him, truly look interested and as though he was reading it. Sir Ulrica had a keen sense of being aware when he seemed to dawdle. 

Shiloh couldn’t wrap his mind around why his parents would give him such a task as training with Ulrica. Just because his father had once done the same to become a prophet, didn’t mean Shiloh had to do the same and become one as well. He had heard many stories of Prophets in the Realm, they had grown rare during the dry time when none ruled in the Hall of Kings. His father, King Samuel, was only a boy when he started training along side another young boy called Ember. Shiloh had known little of him. He had met him only once. The memory scent painful waves through him as he recalled the events. He shut his eyes as his hand went to his damaged ribs, the scar was jagged across them, permanently damaging the bone which caused him dull pain often. Ember had been the one to save his life only two years ago, although Shiloh didn’t know it at the time. It appeared as though a friend of Ember’s was the one who had intended on killing him. If Ember had not come he surely would have been dead. Shiloh was never allowed to be told the truth behind it all, his parents always said he was to young. That was always how it was, to young to know the truth to so many things, they said.

~

What do you think? Interested in reading past excerpts to know what had happened with Ember and Shiloh before? if so, leave I comment and let me know that it should be one of the next Fiction Friday posts!

Happy Nanowrimo writing! 

-Melody

Fiction Friday, Excerpt from, Garden Fairy Tales

Super excited about sharing this excerpt! I took up writing for children this time. My Mommy had recommended it for awhile, I finally decided to try it after I finished my recent first draft. I have been doing Biology for science this year of school, while studying Kingdom Fungi I got this totally weird burst of inspiration to write a story around the mushroom fairy rings. Not many people get story ideas while reading science, but I do, yes I know... weird. Anyway, here is an excerpt from my first draft at the moment. If you have not guessed yet, it is about fairies.  

My little siblings over heard me talking about the fairy story apparently, they all decided to take up the task of illustrating it. 

Fairies: by, James and Abigail

Excerpt from, Garden Fairy Tales

Beauty Sleep

The golden light of the sunrise crept up the clover’s stalk. Scarlet brushed a delicate hand over her eyes, wiping the sleepiness away. She lay among the freshly turned earth under the clover’s blooming top, her wings draped over her shoulders as a soft blanket, protecting her from the cold dew. She sat up slowly, looking around for a friend in sight. The garden forest seemed empty. The large stalks of grass towering over her, sending shadows striped across the earth. The sun's light splashed through the green, lighting up her brilliant red dress. She stood clumsily, her wings setting her off balance at first as they tried to straighten. 

  “Well,” she squeaked with a sigh, spinning around hastily as she awoke her sleepy wings. “I wonder, where could Ivy be?” she questioned herself, placing a small finger to her lips in thought. 

She unfurled her wings with a shake of her small shoulders, she spread her hands outward as she pulled herself off the ground with her wings. She came above the clovers pluming top. The suns dew covered the grass stalks and clover heads, the flowers were closed still, nearly ready to blossom. She fluttered over a few of the flowers, inspecting to be sure they were preparing to bud. The birds had begun their song above, their notes fluttering through the garden, awakening the fairies still at rest under their blossoms. 

Ivy’s purple curly head popped up above the bud Scarlet inspected. Her upturned nose freckled from the sun scrunched up as she yawned, she pulled her tiny legs up onto the bud as though it was a stool, “Morning, Scarlet.” She squeaked with much chipper, as she fluttered up from the bud with her thin wings to glide by Scarlet’s side.

“Good morning, dear Ivy.” Scarlet replied, smiling at her friend, “Sleep well? I woke before you, meaning you must have slept pretty well.” She chuckled. 

Ivy yawned, stretching her thin arms up while giving her wings a little shake. “Oh, I slept beautifully.” She sighed out as she pulled her arms back down, “Am I anymore beautiful, Scarlet?” she pressed, buzzing around in front of Scarlet, the flower between the two.

Scarlet laughed a little waving a hand at Ivy’s head, “Now you can’t believe every myth you hear. Sleep does not really make you more beautiful, you do know?” 

Ivy slouched, “Oh, but, Scarlet, Autumn and Mayberry are so very beautiful and pretty, they sleep in everyday. The say that’s why they are so beautiful.” She crossed her arms while shaking her curly head.

“Ivy, both Autumn and Mayberry help with the leaf sewing, which takes place in the afternoon, they have no need to rise early.” Scarlet objected, while reaching out a hand towards her friend. 

Ivy uncrossed her arms slowly and reached to hold Scarlet’s hand. “Come,” Scarlet explained, “Rowan was going to show me something this morning. Once we have finished our assignments, we can both go see. Would you like that, Ivy?” she looked to her friends pouting face to see her full lips turn up slightly as she nodded.

Scarlet smiled as she pulled them up into the air away from the bud she had been inspecting. “I’ll care for the yellow ones.” Ivy explained, breaking from Scarlet’s grip. “You take the pink.” She called up, as she soared down towards the group of yellow buds just reaching the sun.

Scarlet twirled up a few yards in the air, letting out a bubbling laugh as she changed directions and fluttered down from the sky, her wings steadily causing her to float down to a patch of baby pink buds reaching out of the folds of bright green leaves.

~

Hope you all enjoyed it! Have any little sisters? Let them read it, or read it to them. I really want some kid's opinions on it. 

Any tips on writing children's fiction?

-Melody