My New WIP!!!

Hello my Elflings!

So I had this AMAZING STORY IDEA the other night!
Have you ever heard of The Wild Swans? It is an awesome story!
Here is the overview from Wikipedia:

In a faraway kingdom, there lives a widowed king with his twelve children: eleven princes and one princess. One day, he decides to remarry. He marries a wicked queen who was a witch. Out of spite, the queen turns her eleven stepsons into swans (they are allowed to become human by night) and forces them to fly away. The queen then tries to bewitch their 15-year-old sister, Elisa, but Elisa's goodness is too strong for this, so the queen has Elisa banished. The brothers carry Elisa to safety in a foreign land where she is out of the reach of her stepmother.

There, Elisa is guided by the queen of the fairies to gather stinging nettles in graveyards to knit into shirts that will eventually help her brothers regain their human shapes. Elisa endures painfully blistered hands from nettle stings, and she must also take a vow of silence for the duration of her task, for speaking one word will kill her brothers. The king of another faraway land happens to come across the mute Elisa and falls in love with her. He grants her a room in his castle where she continues her knitting. Eventually he proposes to crown her as his queen and wife, and she accepts.

However, the Archbishop is chagrined because he thinks Elisa is herself a witch, but the king will not believe him. One night Elisa runs out of nettles and is forced to collect more in a nearby church graveyard where the Archbishop is watching. Ghoulish spirits that devour the bodies of the dead are also in the churchyard, and the archbishop believes that Elisa is in league with them. He reports the incident to the king as proof of witchcraft. The statues of the saints shake their heads in protest, but the Archbishop misinterprets this sign as confirmation of Elisa's guilt. The Archbishop orders to put Elisa on trial for witchcraft. She can speak no word in her defense and is sentenced to death by burning at the stake.

The brothers discover Elisa's plight and try to speak to the king but fail, thwarted by the rising sun. Even as the tumbril bears Elisa away to execution, she continues knitting, determined to keep it up to the last moment of her life. This enrages the people, who are on the brink of snatching and destroying the shirts when the swans descend and rescue Elisa. The people interpret this as a sign from Heaven that Elisa is innocent, but the executioner still makes ready for the burning. When Elisa throws the shirts over the swans, her brothers return to their human forms. (Unfortunately, the youngest brother has a swan's wing instead of an arm, as Elisa did not have time to finish one sleeve of his shirt.) Elisa is now free to speak and tell the truth, but she faints from exhaustion, so her brothers explain. As they do so, the firewood around Elisa's stake miraculously takes root and bursts into flowers. The king plucks the topmost flower and presents it to Elisa, and they are married. And the youngest prince's wing becomes normal again.

Now isn't that an awesome story? So I decided to make an adaptation of it! I am so excited for this one. The version I have, though, names the princess Elise instead of Elisa, so I am going to use that. I also named all the characters, as they don't really have names in the story. And you see that it says the youngest prince's wing becomes normal again? I think that, in my story, I am going to leave him with one arm and one wing! I mean, would that not be cool? To have a swan wing? A swan wing that has the striking power of a baseball bat? Oh yeah! Sucker's keeping his wing alright! 

I suppose you want to know what I renamed them... of course xD

Here is a list of all characters I named:

King Iskander (Elise's father and ruler of Ivoria) 

Queen Imayn ( Iskander's first wife and co-ruler of Ivoria)

Queen Elewys (Iskander's second wife and evil stepmother)

Prince Regent Gauvain

Prince Regent Raullin

Prince Regent Giraldus

Prince Regent Renier

Prince Regent Bayard

Prince Regent Guerin

Prince Regent Tedric

Prince Regent Rogier

Prince Regent Gervase

Prince Regent Mainard

Prince Regent Johann (the one who keeps his wing)

Princess Elise

I also made pictures of them using the DollDivine website!
(I had to make two separate pictures for the Princes Regent 'cause there are so many of them xD)

l-r: King Iskander, Queen Imayn, Princess Elise, and the evil Queen Elewys:

l-r: Princes Regent Gauvain, Raullin, Giraldus, Renier, and Bayard 

l-r: Princes Regent Guerin, Tedric, Rogier, Gervase, Mainard, and Johann

(DOESN'T GERVASE JUST LOOK LIKE A GERVASE?!?!?!?)

l-r: the evil Archbishop Ouidart, Ricolda (the old lady Elise meets in the woods), Morgana the Fairy, and King Alexedris of Skaris (who marries Elise)

...and the reason that there are so many Princes Regent is that only one of them can succeed their father (duh), so the rest act as Regents. And Elise isn't a regent because there's only one of her, and her fate is pretty much decided as the final tie of an alliance xD  but then things happen *mysterious music* The prince's full titles would go something like "Prince Regent Johann Avar of Ivoria, Swanwing" Avar is the royal family's last name, and the italicized word is a title that they earn when they turn twenty, taken from the most important thing that they did or that happened to them in the years before.

This book will have thirty chapters, unless I forget to add something and have to lengthen it xD

I can't wait to share the ins and outs of this book as I write it!

What do you think of this story idea? Do you want me to share it chapter-by-chapter as I write it? Have you had any great story ideas lately?

Monday Funnies...

Hey Elflings!

So I just said something hilarious that I want to share with you. Well, it wasn't so much what I said as how ironic it was... :P

First you're gonna need the backstory:
A few years ago, some of my friends and I were playing in our church parking lot. There were some Magnolia trees at the edge of the asphalt, and I picked up one of the big pinecone-like thingys and proceeded to throw it at one of the boys (of course). This immediately started what we have ever after called *cue dramatic music* THE PINECONE WAR.  After "firing the first shot", I calmly walked away in slow motion wearing sunglasses as the war exploded in flames behind me. and didn't throw another pinecone or take any other part in the war for as long as it lasted.


Now, for the Funny:

Today, my sister was doing her Famous Men of Greece exercises and I was listening to her discuss it with my mom. They were trying to figure out who "the Trojan champion and prince" was (turns out it was Hector), and I said,
"I'll tell you one thing though, it wasn't Paris! Sure, he was a prince and all, but not a champion by any means. Nobody really liked him, not even the Trojans. Imagine the nerve of that guy, to go off and start a war and then not take part in it!"

.............

.............

...and then I remembered what I had done years earlier, and almost died laughing.

Have you ever done anything silly like that? What was it? I'd love to know!

Five Poems You Need to Read (and should memorize!)

Hey Elflings!
I was reading some poems a few days back, and I wanted to share some of them with you.

(Note: These are in no particular "order-of-preference" whatsoever.)

Number One:

Preparedness
Edwin Markham

For all your days prepare,
And meet them all alike:
When you are the anvil, bear--
When you are the hammer, strike.
        

This is a short yet powerful poem. Be ready. You never know what's coming. Don't be caught off guard.

Number Two:

The Fool's Prayer
Edward Rowland Sill

The royal feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: "Sir Fool, 
Kneel now and make for us a prayer!"

The jester doffed his cap and bells,
And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile 
Behind the painted grin he wore.

He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the monarch's silken stool;
His pleading voice arose: "Oh Lord, 
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"No pity, Lord, could change the heart
From red with wrong to white as wool;
The rod must heal the sin: but, Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

" 'T is not by guilt the onward sweep 
Of truth and right, oh Lord, we stay;
'T is by our follies that so long 
We hold the Earth from Heaven away.

"These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.

"The ill-timed truth we might have kept--
Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung!
The word we had not sense to say--
Who knows how grandly it had rung!

"Our faults no tenderness should ask,
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all;
But for our blunders--oh, in shame
Before the eyes of Heaven we fall.

"Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave and scourge the tool
That did his will; but thou, oh Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!"

The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low:
"Be merciful to me, a fool!"

Wow, right? This one makes me think of the Bible verse from Psalms that says, "Though your servant is careful of them [God's laws], very diligent in keeping them, yet who can detect failings? Cleanse me from my unknown faults!" Beautiful! I myself am working on memorizing this poem.


Number Three:

A Friend's Greeting
Edgar A. Guest

I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me;
I'd like to be the help that you've been always glad to be;
I'd like to mean as much to you each minute of the day
As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way.

I'd like to do the big things and the splendid things for you,
To brush the gray from out your skies and leave them only blue;
I'd like to say the kindly things that I so oft have heard,
And feel that I could rouse your soul the way that mine you've stirred.

I'd like to give you back the joy that you have given me, 
Yet that were wishing you a need I hope, will never be;
I'd like to make you feel as rich as I, who travel on
Undaunted in the darkest hours with you to lean upon.

I'm wishing at this Christmas time that I could but repay
A portion of the gladness that you've strewn along my way;
And could I have one wish this year, this only would it be:
I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me.

This is my heartfelt wish! Don't you just read this and respond from the depths of your soul, "Yes! Yes, this is how I feel too"? And sure, it says "Christmas" (and we're not there yet), but it goes year round, in my opinion!

Number Four:

I Shall Not Pass This Way Again
Author Unknown

Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do,
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay, for it is plain,
I shall not pass this way again.

MAKE THE MOST OF THE TIME YOU HAVE! At any time, you could die, and what would they remember you by? Make your life count!

Number Five:

Prayer of a Soldier in France
Joyce Kilmer

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).

I march with feet that burn and smart
(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear 
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget 
Thy Agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From The pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of The gift. Amen.


What a beautiful poem! God has done the unthinkable for us... should we not do all we can for Him?



I hope you enjoyed this selection of poems, my Elflings! Read them, memorize them, share them! They come in handy for all situations. If you need something to put on a Christmas card, use A Friend's Greeting by Edgar A. Guest. If you need some motivation, recite Preparedness by Edwin Markham! Poems are super useful, and inspirational!

Have you ever read any of these poems before? Do you plan on memorizing any of them? Which one was your favorite?