The Evergreen Kingdom

featured in "Fantasy Newsletter (January 19, 2022)" 


Both word lists used - the picture referenced as well


The Evergreen Kingdom

King Evergreen perched on his throne of branches and surveyed his domain. All about shone the light of the Merry Snow Feast. The green forest, the light from the mystical stones and the snow as it coated the branches of the forest, snuggling up against those huge stones like pillows and blankets.

Guards summoned, they then took their place. They stood tall and slowly unfurled their branches. Snow along the path melted under the glare of their stare. Diaphanous ice clouds swirled, then twirled as the procession of Princess WinterBell wended its way toward King Evergreen.

Slowly, reverently a tiny carriage as white and fragile as a hummingbird egg floated over the snowy path. Inside lay Princess WinterBell, lying on a bed of opulent minkworm fluff. White blonde hair hung around her small form dressed in a white minkworm bunting as tiny starfish-shaped hands reached for twinkling matin-white worms. Her gurgling, burbling laughs brought a smile to King Evergreen’s face.

Guards showered the carriage in snowflakes as large as the stars in the sky as the carriage proceeded to the King’s throne. King Evergreen stood tall, his smile cracking open his face of wood.

“Welcome one and all. Today we will celebrate the birth of my child, Princess WinterBell. Some few months ago this precious child was born to myself and Queen WinterShine. The union of our two bodies gave this world a child that will lead this world in the future. We celebrate the new life of Princess WinterBell. I hereby declare this as a National Holiday. So let it be known that from henceforth and forever more this day will be known as the “WinterBell Festival of Life”. All work will cease for this day. All will come worship the Princess, our heir to the Evergreen Kingdom.”

Princess WinterBell’s laughter rang through the forest as a bell. It summoned the forest creatures. Soon all the fairies, the elves, the trolls, the gnomes, the foxes, the bears, the wolves, the mice, the birds, the snakes, the fish, the dogs, the cats, the dragons, the wizards, the witches, the warlocks, and all the humans who lived in the village nearby gathered. Queen WaterShine floated to Princess WinterBell, her gentle arms lifted the Princess from the carriage, delivered her to the King.

The King enveloped his Queen and their child in his evergreen arms. They gazed upon the child with their loving eyes. The Princess WinterBell reached up to touch each of her parents with the chubby baby hands. The Princess’s laughter again rang like a bell in the forest. Her eyes of bluest gems rested on the green eyes of her father and the yellow eyes of her mother.

“My love, my king, I present to you our child. Born of the union of water and wood. She is the embodiment of all that is wild and wonderful in our world.” Queen WaterShine gave to King Evergreen the tiny Princess. His smile lit the woods as if the sun was shining in a mid-two-sun-summer. The temperature in the forest rose by several degrees.

“My two loves. Truly the goodness of the forest world shines on us today. Come, take and celebrate.” King Evergreen gave of himself to decorate the party. Red berries, green leaves, and brown cones were given to EagleEye. The bird decorated the carriage of the royal baby. Then Queen WaterShine threw a shower into the air as everyone enjoyed the frozen falling stars.

Princess WinterBell’s party lasted into a long, deep winter’s night. All those gathered enjoyed the feast and dancing until the fires burned down to deep red embers. Princess WinterBell fell asleep in the welcoming arms of King Evergreen.

Queen WaterShine encompassed all those attending the feast. Her wintry touch froze all in a split second. It was to become a monument forever enshrined in the King’s woody palace. The fairies, the elves, the trolls, the gnomes, the foxes, the bears, the wolves, the mice, the birds, the snakes, the fish, the dogs, the cats, the dragons, the wizards, the witches, the warlocks, and all the humans were caught in a tableau, forever captured in the act of adoration.

“Well done, my Queen. This gift will take a place of honor in our home. It will be a monument of our daughter’s grace and beauty. At that very moment all came to worship her, the future of the Evergreen fortune, you somehow captured that sliver of time for all our eternity.”

EagleEye gathered the monument in its wings then flew over King Evergreen. The monument sparkled in the rising sun. After circling the King several times. EagleEye made a way to the castle sculpted in a rocky fortress. The monument rested in the center hall. At noon each year they celebrated the Princess ‘WinterBell Festival of Life’ and the sun shone on the monument. At that moment it lit the frozen occupants in the monument, lighting each one. For that one shining moment it was as if each one again had life.

And as the ages passed in the Evergreen Kingdom of another world, the new Queen WinterBell often took time to wonder about all the figures caught forever in that moment of time. How those figures became caught in an icy prison she now called home was a story told often by the elders.

She gazed upon the monument each year at the time of her festival. The elders told tales of those enshrined in the frozen monument, tales of each person, each fairy, each elf, each troll and gnome, and all the animals.

Princess WinterBell also heard rumors of witches and warlocks and wizards caught in the monument. So she went to the forest to consult with the only wizard still left in the kingdom. After her father, King Evergreen and mother, Queen WaterShine, had left the Evergreen kingdom to live in the land of another life some time ago, they had warned her of the evil power still left in the kingdom. The wizard, Puck, lived in an ancient tree deep in the forest kingdom.

“Why do you seek me, Princess?” The wizened little shrub emerged from the hollow trunk.

“Wizard Puck, I’ve been told you are the last wizard in my kingdom. Perhaps you can instruct me. I need to know why there are no other wizards and witches and warlocks in the Evergreen Kingdom.”

“Oh kind lady, I am not of the power your parents found desirable. Your parents exiled me to the outer reaches of the kingdom. Others your mother froze forever in her monument.”

“But are there not good kinds of magic as well as bad?” Princess WinterBell had heard different stories about magic.

“Your parents wanted to protect you from all things. They only wanted good for you. But you need to decide for yourself.” Puck went back to his hollow in the trunk.

Princess WinterBell returned to her home in the rock fortress. She thought for days about magic and the powers for good and evil.
When her time for thinking was done, she called for the wizard Puck to come to her throne.

“Wizard Puck, you may now move freely in the Evergreen Kingdom. I will give you freedom to live in the kingdom. I will now respect all people in the Kingdom. No one will be exiled for what they believe. Let the monument made by my mother be a lesson in what not to do. Let us learn from it.”

The citizens of the Evergreen Kingdom loved Princess WinterBell and vowed never to hate again. They respected all people for all the gifts they may share.

W/C 1283