The Fortunicorn (16)
A romantasy in drabbles
The Fortunicorn, it transpired, had put Princess Deirdre to sleep - accidentally, of course.
Princess Garnet knew that merely being in the equine’s presence was enough to clear her family’s negative energy - and therefore the cause of their current misfortunes.
Deridre’s emotional state, however, complicated things. Her transfer, though contactless, had also drained her physical energy. When Garnet returned to the woodland waterfall, she found her sister slumbering upon the bank.
Yet Deirdre would not wake... even after half an hour, and much shaking.
Garnet sighed. The day was slipping away, and Alanah was waiting.
She gathered Deirdre into her arms.
Thanks for reading…
…and a big welcome to my new followers and subscribers!
Here’s the story behind ‘The Fortunicorn’: when I began this Substack, only six months ago, I intended to write standalone fiction every week(end).
With the creation of Thorny Thursday, however (see below), I ended up with this serialised piece, week after week.
Its plot? Three princesses have had enough of being unlucky in romantic love. Meeting a special sort of twonicorn - the horns absorb negative energy - brings good fortune, according to fable.
We’re now about two-thirds of the way through this story. The sisters have all met the Fortunicorn… but will their luck change for the better? We’ll find out in upcoming weeks.
In the meantime, you can read every existing part of ‘The Fortunicorn’ here.
As a fantasy writer, I was also sad to hear about Bernard Hill’s death, this weekend. His version of Théoden was one of many characters that entranced me as a child... possibly because, in his case, he looked like one of my uncles!
And, as a group, these characters put me on my writing path (which of course includes creating my own royalty/leaders).
I’m actually reading The Two Towers at the moment - for the first time ever. In my imagination, some things do look different to how the Jackson films portrayed them… Théoden, however, isn’t one of them.
I still see and hear Bernard Hill on the page. He was great in Wolf Hall, too.
RIP Bernard Hill.
An Announcement
Regular readers with an eagle eye will have noticed that there was no ‘Novelling Now and Then’ last month.
The truth is, work has been getting on top of me. I have this Substack, my novel, my main website (WordPress), and Medium - as well as looking for a part-time job.
I have to sacrifice something, and I’d rather it was this than my mental health.
The good news: I was on holiday last week, and re-grouped all my plans. Six months in, I’m now clearer on what I want Exploring the Eyrie to be… to do.
We’re heading for a revamp. So, ‘Novelling Now and Then’ is currently paused. It may yet return… but, readers, would you want it to?
Please expand in the comments.
Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts.
Join the Thornies!
This is my sixteenth early entry to the ‘Thorny Thursday’ love and romance collection, curated by
and .Readers and writers within this collection include:
…among many more!
Next Time:
Part Seventeen
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Thank you for exploring the Eyrie.
Copyright © E.A. Colquitt 2024
Thank you Ms Colquitt, for the mention. Much appreciated!