A little extra from Thrushbeard of Anaria telling the children in the village a story The children settled as Anaria took a seat at the front of the new school room. She arranged her skirts then looked over the eager faces and smiled. "Have you heard the legend of the Crown of Aragonia?" Eyes rounded …
The rest of the preparations were completed without drama, although the wound to Anaria’s heart still ached. Finally, she was pronounced ready, and her helpers led her from the room. She was escorted downstairs by the group of laughing, chattering women and felt warmed by their happiness on her behalf. Well, if her mother couldn’t …
As Sarah moved across the room to help with arranging Anaria’s hair, someone knocked at the door. Gwen went to answer it, standing to one side as her little brother slipped through the door, wide-eyed. “Mum, you look like a princess.” He flushed at the smiles and chuckles this brought and Sarah gave him a …
Anaria thought she’d never sleep the night before her wedding, but older heads conferred and had her busy enough in the days before that she fell straight into her bed in the lovely blue room and knew nothing more until the sun peeked in on her the next morning. She lay for a minute, simply …
A rich laugh came from the doorway, both Liam and Anaria looked around, startled. “You put him on the floor easily enough but he got back up again far too quickly.” Liam smiled, “Anaria, I know you’ve met her before, but I would like you to properly meet my mother, and that may even be …
Anaria woke to the sun shining into the room, and frowned. How much of what she remembered was real, and how much was fever dream? How could honest, caring, kind, humble Liam be the heir of Clearfall? That must have been her mind playing games. She sat up, then piled the pillows behind her to …
He was across the room in an instant, laying a careful hand on her head, as Sarah had done, checking for fever, as his worried eyes searched hers. “Ana.” She’d already flopped back onto the pillows piled up behind her, it was too hard to hold herself up, but she found the energy for a …
There was noise and commotion behind her, but she took no notice, she needed to get back to the forest, she needed to find Liam. Finally, an open door to the outside, she fled down the stairs and across the courtyard, dodging startled horses and coach drivers. Out of the huge front gates and down …
He led her to an open area of floor in the middle of the room, leaving her briefly to open the library doors wide. “So we can hear the music, it’s a bit difficult to dance without it.” “Where is the ballroom?” “There’s a back entrance to it just across the passage.” He returned just …
Weaving through the castle corridors, Anaria hoped she hadn’t misremembered the cook’s directions but, after what seemed like forever, she came a large set of doors, carved with books and scrolls. She caught her breath, pushed down the fizz of exuberance and carefully pulled on one of the doors. It swung open easily and she …
The DNA of Stories 