%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
Chapter One. The Golden Dragonfly |
|
The Golden Dragonfly Izabella, a young mystical fairy princess from Mount Shapika, went for a morning ride with her best friend Zarius, an adventurous elfin prince from the Enchanted Forest. Seated upon the backs of the majestic butterflies they glided over the brilliantly hue-covered fields of wildflowers that spread far to the west of the Enchanted Forest. Sweet fragrances from the wildflowers mingled in the early morning air as the warm sunlight intensified their aroma. The elder butterfly, Izabella rode, floated down to rest on a deep red flower that swayed in the gentle breeze. Her stomach felt like it was still in the air as it slowly calmed once again after the butterfly landed on a soft petal. “Oh, my Zarius, I always feel as if I am still floating when we land.” She began to laugh with her soft gentle sound. Zarius rode the young butterfly as it fluttered over a bright yellow flower. He had a miserable look on his face and was not content to be on this peaceful morning ride. He was still upset about the adventure Louis the field-mouse had taken him on in search of the lost treasure of the Kingdom of Dartara. A corner of Dartara castle ruins jutted out of the field nearby reminding him of his failure. "Oh Zarius, aren't the flowers so beautiful in the morning light?" Izabella gently sighed as she lay down to make herself comfortable on the bumpy back of the elder butterfly. She rested her small chin in the palms of her hands so that she would not miss anything, listening to the bees as they hummed a happy tune amongst a clump of bright orange flowers nearby. The elder butterfly's soft yellow wings, trimmed in black as dark as night, fluttered creating a gentle breeze that blew her hair in the air and exposed her tiny delicate pointed ears that poked through her thick brown strands. Impatient with Izabella's carefree mood, Zarius crinkled his nose as he made a scowl, "You always find beauty in everything. Don't you know there are more important things to think about?" His mind wandered far away from the morning ride as he shifted his weight back and forth uncomfortably with his legs straddled around the small neck of the young butterfly. I wish I were on an exciting adventure. His eyes searched the field of wildflowers for something out of the ordinary. Izabella looked at Zarius with a concerned expression, "I know you would rather do something else than ride with me this morning, but why can't you just take time to see all the surrounding beauty?" she gazed at all the different colored flowers that had opened their soft petals to welcome the morning sun. "Zarius, don't you know it is good for the soul to acknowledge all the wonders in our enchanted world?" Ignoring Izabella, Zarius suddenly spotted a golden dragonfly that darted back and forth among a clump of wildflowers just ahead. He had heard all the tales of these magnificent creatures but he had never seen one. He remembered how the stories told of rare magical powers they possessed and how only the one who captured them could use these powers. "Look Izabella! It's a golden dragonfly!" His eyes grew larger and larger as he shouted with excitement. "Wouldn't it be great if we could catch one of these magnificent creatures? Just imagine all the magical things we could do with its powers. Our kingdom would never have to worry about the Sorcerer Paytten again." He wanted to convince her to go on a new adventure. Izabella had been on too many adventures with Zarius, and she knew right away that he thought of a new one. "Oh, Zarius!" she shouted. "Please, do nothing dangerous. You know every time you go on one of your adventures it goes wrong." She knew this time would not be any different. He is going to get in trouble again. She worried about what he had planned to do now. "Izabella, I know what I am doing! You always worry about everything." Zarius yelled back as he investigated what items he had put in his pockets before leaving on their ride. You've not seen anything yet. A small smirk crept on his face as he prepared for a new adventure. This time is going to be different. "I know what you are thinking Zarius, and I don't think it is a good idea this time." She watched him as he searched his pockets. "We are just too close to the edge of the field for you to chase this golden dragonfly. What if it were to fly into the old witch Hagatha's garden?" she whispered to him out of fear that Hagatha may be listening. All the elves knew Hagatha did not like them trespassing in her garden. It was a dangerous place, not only for an elf but also for any magical creature or being. If the poisonous plants did not get them Hagatha's pet feline, Ambrosia, would catch them and take them to her and she would use them to add magic to her potions. Zarius pulled out the long piece of spider web rope and his cutting stone from his pocket and examined them closely to make sure they were in good condition. "I'm not afraid of Hagatha!" He boasted back to Izabella while he looked out of the corner of his eye, just in case Hagatha was listening. "This magnificent creature is worth the risk. Just think of all the good we can do with its magic." Once again, he tried to convince her to agree to his new adventure. Zarius thought if he could catch the golden dragonfly, it would please his father King Orrehn, and he would forget about all the trouble he got into on his other adventures. It was important for Zarius to prove he had grown into a strong prince and he knew the magnificent creature would be the ultimate prize. Without a second thought, Zarius flew off on the young butterfly, but it did not fly fast enough for him to catch up with the golden dragonfly. He needed a faster way to catch up, so he looked around the field. Taking the long rope of spider web from his pocket, he started making a noose large enough to slip over the head of one of the playful dragonflies he saw frolicking in the field. Izabella watched Zarius as the elder butterfly she was riding slowly came up behind him. He was making a noose from his spider web rope. Working as fast as lightning, his little fingers wrapped the rope round and round tying it off with a slipknot. “What are you going to do with that rope?” she asked as fear overcame her thoughts. “I need a faster way to catch the golden dragonfly and one of those blue dragonflies will be perfect because they are quick.” Zarius looked back at the dragonflies as they were approaching. Izabella watched the dragonflies fly in a fast-paced formation darting back and forth around the wildflowers, barely missing each other as they quickly shifted from left to right. She just knew they were going to collide with one another eventually, the way they flew misguided as if there was no communication within the group at all. “Zarius, you are as crazy as those dragonflies. You should just wait and try a different way. I just don't think this is safe.” Zarius stood up on the back of the young butterfly ignoring Izabella's pleas once again. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! You could hear the spider web rope as it cut through the air while Zarius swung it above his head, then he tossed it toward the group of dragonflies aiming for the closest one as they passed by. The noose gently slid around the head of the closest dragonfly and caught around its neck with a jerk. Zarius went flying behind it through the air. Up and down, he bounced off the different colored wildflowers as the colored dust sprayed in the air. Yellow, red, purple, and pink-colored dust mixed in the breezes wake as he flew away. “Whoa! Watch out, coming through!” Zarius shouted to the group of bees hovering over a clump of bright red flowers. The dragonfly dragged him right through the center and the red petals slapped him in the face. All the bees scattered with loud buzzes as he plowed through the flowers. Zarius covered in different colored flower dust, peeled off a red petal that had stuck to his face and started to pull himself up on the spider web rope. The stickiness of the spun silk helped him to hold on without slipping. His hair blew in the wind as he swayed back and forth, up and down, behind the dragonfly as he climbed the rope. Finally, he managed to get up on the back with his legs straddled around the dragonfly's neck. Holding on tight, he leaned over to get a good grip. He did not want to slip off while he tried to steer the dragonfly in the right direction. Izabella watched in awe at Zarius' death-defying act. Slowly she followed him on the elder butterfly and watched him ride the dragonfly toward the end of the field as he tried to catch the magnificent creature. Faster and faster, Zarius flew through the air as he followed in pursuit of the golden dragonfly. Just up ahead he could still see it as it made its way toward the end of the field of wildflowers. "Wahoo!" Zarius yelled out in excitement. "No! Zarius, stop! You are heading into Hagatha's garden!" Izabella shouted, but her plea landed on deaf ears. He could not hear her in the heat of the chase because she was so far behind him and the wind whistled in his ears. Zarius came upon the tail of the golden dragonfly at the end of the field. He knew he was about to enter where no elf had ever returned from, Hagatha's garden. Even though he was no bigger than Hagatha's left thumb, he was not going to let her keep him from catching this magnificent creature. Zarius kicked his little pointed shoes into the sides of the dragonfly he rode to make him fly faster. Within a blink of an eye, it was as if the mysterious and dark forbidden garden had swallowed up Zarius. Izabella came to the edge of the field of wildflowers and looked into the abyss of vines for a glimpse of Zarius. "Zarius!" she whispered loudly. There was no answer. Her stomach fluttered as she became anxious about what was going on inside the garden. She could not hear a sound or see anything in the darkness. It was as if time had stopped while it stood silent and still, waiting for some magical moment to occur in this gloomy space, and yet everything continued all around it as if nothing had happened. Izabella felt torn in two and it brought anguish to her heart. She feared what would happen to Zarius in this forbidden place if she did not go in after him, yet she did not want to enter the unknown darkness because she had made a promise to her father, Vicar, who was the head wizard to King Orrehn. Even though Vicar was a very powerful wizard he feared his only child would be lost forever if Hagatha were to capture her. He had already lost her mother Queen Serene, the Queen of the Mystic Fairies, when Crocus the Goblin captured her when he stole the magical fairy dust. Izabella decided to wait to see if Zarius returned victoriously or dragged his feet in defeat as he had always done before. The elder butterfly floated down to rest on a large blade of grass that reached high in the air sloping down almost touching the ground with its tip. Izabella climbed down from the elder butterfly's fuzzy back and her tiny feet landed with a soft thud as they hit the hard black dirt. She walked over to a small toadstool nearby and climbed up, stepping on a smaller mushroom in order to reach the top. Here she made herself comfortable, slightly sinking into the soft flesh of the toadstool so that she could have a good view of the entrance into the garden where Zarius had entered. Quietly she sat listening as she anxiously waited for him to return. While Izabella sat waiting, she thought about how devastated King Orrehn would be if anything happened to Zarius, his youngest son. He felt Zarius never thought before acting, he just got excited about the prospect, took a leap of faith, and hoped the outcome would be worthwhile. |
| This book is currently empty. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
