Here begins the tale of Queen Lucy and the little kingdom of Nantrelor.

At one time there were many little kingdoms, scattered here and there about the world. Some of them rather modest, unassuming little places, rather whimsical in their ways, some of them taking themselves far more seriously, with grand ambitions. But now history has swept most of them away, and their pride is forgotten.

But little Nantrelor endured...



It is said that Nantrelor once lay within the girdle of the Faerie realms. You may believe or disbelieve that, as you will. But if you should ever visit the little kingdom and wander amongst it’s green hills and its forests, you might feel a certain something in the air, or in the earth beneath your feet. And if you stop a while and listen to the whisper of the breeze in the tree tops, or to the music of the waterfalls, you might just begin to believe.

And it is not for nothing that the country folks still refer to the eastern wilds of the kingdom as the 'Enchanted Forest'. The old magic, so they say, is still very much alive there. And here and there may be found, half hidden under brambles, or in some secluded glade, many curious relics of past ages...



Nobody is quite sure who built this, or when, or for what purpose. Locals believe it to be the haunt of kindly spirits from another age, remembering perhaps that happy Arcadia where the mothers and fathers of mankind once danced and played in the innocence of their childhood. Not a place to be disturbed with noise, but rather a place for tranquillity and quiet meditation.

At least, that is the case most of the time…





“Wunderbar!”



“Remarkable!”

May we introduce Doctor Hans Vanderling, late of the University of Simstadt, philosopher and historian. Elderly, bespectacled, rather dapperly dressed: he appears to be just what he is, a kindly, mild mannered old scholar. But he is a little bit more than that, as we shall presently learn. For now, we shall say he is an inquirer into mysteries. Both ancient and modern.

And if things were were not remarkable enough…





“Still in one piece Doc? I told you I could work these things, didn’t I. And now I’ve saved you a long, bumpy journey by coach. Believe me, those mountain roads are no joke! Don’t I always take care of you?”

“I never doubted you Anthea. And I assure you there was no need for you to give me such a push, it quite set me off balance. And I was quite ready to step through of my own volition”.

“Sorry Doc, I just thought you needed a little encouragement. And I promise you I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t absolutely sure it was safe. Yeah, I used to get around using these things all the time, but there ain’t so many of them left now”.



“This place is quite fascinating, I wish I had time to examine it more closely. I hadn’t expected to find a Greco-Roman influence here. Some kind of shine or sanctuary, I would say. And this, the god Apollo I would guess, patron of the arts. A later addition, I would think”.

“I s’pose. It doesn’t look much like him though”.

“Indeed? I suppose you are now going to tell me he’s yet another of your old acquaintances”.

“Hardly that Doc! Sure, I did run into him one time, but I didn’t stick around long enough to get acquainted. Let me tell you, Doc, you don’t want to get on the bad side of those old Olympians, they’re a touchy lot. No sense of humour, any of them!”



“Meaning he didn’t appreciate any of your little pranks. Any more than did the Emperor Charlemagne, or Ivan the Terrible, or was it Vlad the Impaler? Really I lose track of your many misadventures Anthea. But now I really must sit down for a bit. My old legs feel a little wobbly after that journey, brief though it was.



“And whilst we’re on the subject, Anthea, I want you to be on your best behaviour whilst we are here. None of your usual antics now. You know I don’t like to nag you my dear, but we are here upon serious business, and not a mid-summer fairy frolic. We must proceed cautiously and not call undue attention to ourselves. Do you understand?”



“Well, okay Doc. But this looks like being a dull kind of adventure from where I’m sitting. I mean what are we supposed to do here anyway? The place seems like Snoresville, so far as I can tell. I doubt if anything exiting has happened around here since the time of the old Witch Queen. This place wants waking up”.

“We are here, first and foremost, to keep a promise Anthea, remember that. And as for waking things up, well you ought to have learned by now that there are some things that are best left undisturbed. And some other things will only wake up when they are good and ready”.



“Come now Anthea, the afternoon is wearing and there is much for us to do. And do not look so gloomy, liebling, I daresay things may liven up soon enough and you will find plenty of interesting things the occupy you.

“As for me, I shall first need to go shopping. There are some items I need to acquire. Travelling light may suit a fairy, Anthea, but a gentleman does not go adventuring without so much as a toothbrush or a clean shirt collar".

A short walk later...



“Brelor Castle at last! Beautiful, is it not? Alas that I come at such a sad time. Oh, my dear friend Robert, would that you were here to greet me!”

“I loved him too, Doc. And I’m not kidding around this time, I truly have met a few kings in my time, and a few queens too, and he wasn’t just one of the best, he was truly the best”.

“And in that castle dwells one who will miss him more than we Anthea. For no child should lose both mother and father at so tender age, be she princess or no. And she must now bear a heavy burden upon small shoulders. Whatever else may betide, she will want our help. We can do no less for our dear departed friend”.



“And now, Anthea, I must employ your singular talents. Go now, fly to that castle and 'case the joint', as you would say. But on no account let yourself be seen, not even by the queen. Not yet. We must proceed cautiously. And first we must learn the lie of the land, so to speak”

“You mean you want me to spy on them?”.

“You may call it reconnaissance, if you prefer. You must, of course, use a measure of discretion, and you must certainly respect peoples’ privacy. Just listen and observe. Learn what persons attend upon the young queen, their characters, and how they are disposed towards her. Most particularly I wish to know whether she has any unsuspected enemies there. I shall expect a full report when I come. Now off you go, and be good”.



“I go, I go, see how I go. Swifter than arrow from the Tartar’s bow. Wee!”

(At this point the reader may not be too surprised to learn that a certain Robin Goodfellow, sometimes called Puck, is also one of Anthea’s old ‘acquaintances’. They have much in common).



And so it begins.

“Be good” the Doctor says. Well, when Anthea is good, she is very good. And when she is bad – watch out! Things may soon liven up considerably in Nantrelor. Especially if Anthea has anything to do with it.