Snippets From Spindle Dreams

See? I'm back. This makes the second blog post this month for me... which, considering my record from the last four years, is pretty good. 

I began this summer with great plans for writing, books, editing, etc. While I've not been as consistent as I would have liked, I have knuckled down on a few things. FIRST OF WHICH was actually finishing The Rose and the Balloon's companion novella: Spindle Dreams. 

Confession time, folks. I began writing this short story back when Rooglewood announced its third fairytale retelling contest. IN 2015!! Yeah, I was in college and writing for fun doesn't come easily when you're cramming for tests and procrastinating on homework assignments. Three years, though. And do you know what the sad part was? I wrote most of the story that summer (2015) and then stopped a few chapters from the end. I picked it up again in 2016 and wrote all but the last half of the last chapter. 

And then the story sat that way for 2 years. Pretty pathetic, huh?

Anyway, that was one of the first things I knew I needed to do this summer. FINISH THE STORY. It was practically at the end anyway. My Little Writer was after me to complete the thing. Ha. And that was after he'd forbidden me to begin writing it in the first place. 

Anyway, we're at some 23K words right now, and I've already jumped into editing. I'm more pleased overall with how Spindle Dreams turned out -- almost more pleased than my first draft of The Rose and the Balloon. No promises, but I'm hoping to have SD self-published here in the somewhat near future. We'll have to see how things go. 

But I promised you snippets, and so snippets you shall have. Here you go. 

~*~

Dmitri noticed his odd attire for the first time. “What happened? Did you meet up with bandits?”

Felix waved away the concern. “No such luck. Samson decided I needed an impromptu bath. Twice.”

“You still have that rebel animal?”

“He's not a complete rebel. Just active and slightly mischievous. But he means well.”

Dmitri grinned. “Slightly?” 

~*~

Felix shut his eyes against the sight of the fire. The deed did no good, for he could still see fire with his eyes closed. He opened them again. The same dark laugh that permeated every dream was still clinging to his memory, taunting him, mocking him, squeezing his sanity to shreds.

“It was just another nightmare,” he whispered to the night, hoping to alleviate his thumping head.

The words, however, were too powerful. The echo of Dmitri's scream still rang in his mind, and the more Felix thought about it, the more he was certain he could never go back to sleep. With a strangled groan, he threw the blankets off and got out of bed.

No – tumbled out of bed described it better, for Felix's legs gave out and he hit the stone floor on all fours. Rubbing his stinging palms, he was suddenly very glad that bedrooms were private chambers.

After he had gotten dressed and finished the mug of hot chocolate left by the servants – now cold – he headed for the stable. The grooms, to be honest, were more than a little surprised to see the Crown Prince's cousin wanting to ride in the dead of night, but Felix needed some air. The hard, confining walls of the castle were too close. After he'd convinced the grooms he wasn't mad or sick, he rode out on Samson.

It was only then that he realized he’d forgotten to pull some shoes on. He suppressed a groan and looked away from his stockinged feet. Dmitri had loaned him a very nice pair of riding boots, too. 

Samson, the jovial creature that he was, delighted in the midnight ride. It wasn't often that he got the chance to frolic about when all other sensible animals were asleep. Felix let him go full out, and the night swallowed the echo of his hooves.

~*~

“We are very pleased,” Erland crooned, raising his glass, “to have such friends with this Rohesia. We have a long history of alliance, and it is the hope of us that we go together far in the future.”

The lord's thick accent did not merit him well-understood, but Felix thought he could stand firmly behind that claim of friendship so he raised his glass as well. Lord Erland, however, apparently was not finished. After giving Felix a glare until the latter lowered his glass, he cleared his throat and continued.

“We know that this fair land will not be the cost of our trade, and that our dear king will not harm his friendship with us. Trothen has seen her woes, but there is a time soon that she will rise again! From dirt she will rich, and from pain she will glory. She once the brightest star will shine forever.”

As his toast droned on, Felix tried hard not to show his confusion. National pride was definitely a virtue for all men, but the ambassador's thick accent did not merit him well-understood. When Erland began to quote the kings of Trothen, in order from the first crowning, Felix sighed. Nicolas and Nicoline would have smashed a pie over his head long before this.

~*~

Dmitri, looking worried, met him outside his room. “Felix! Where have you been? Do you know what time it is?”

“Couldn’t be that late, cousin, surely?”

Dmitri looked him up and down. “It’s well past midnight, surely. Janelle was certain something had happened to you and was ready to send a search party out. Is something wrong?”

“Couldn’t be better.” Felix smiled again.

Dmitri’s eyes narrowed and twinkled in the same motion. “We need to talk, then.”

A half hour later, Felix was still sitting in his sitting room with his cousin, both with cups of hot chocolate at their disposal. He’d already told the entire tale to Dmitri, but the prince insisted on hashing out all the good parts just to make Felix’s face go red. Why cousins made a hobby of that sort of thing, Felix didn't know. All he knew was that his cousin was thoroughly enjoying himself.

~*~

Janelle watched him walk away and then turned her eyes on Felix. “I know you’re not going to like this, but I’m putting food into you, getting you into a bed, and having the doctor look at those burns. And you can’t deny a royal order.” 

Merryweather let out a whimper. 

“The dog can go with you.”

~*~

Felix didn’t waste any time. As soon as the doctor left, he bolted for the door. He was already sixteen bounds down the hallway before he realized that he’d forgotten to pull his boots on and that Merryweather was close at his heels. The dog had become a close companion the last three days of confinement, and he was grateful for the company. As for the boots -- he’d already been making a fashion statement in the kingdom, so he didn’t bother with going back for his footwear. 

God bless!