Lona: A Fairy Tale by Dare Wright
Sep. 12th, 2009 03:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrThis was my favorite book in the world when I was a little girl. I found it in a bookstore when I was a child and spent a long time saving my allowance so that I could buy it for my very own. It now lists on ABE books for prices between $40 and $300. I wouldn't, of course, sell it for any price whatsoever.
I had always loved fairy tales, and this book had a hugely formative effect on my imagination. It was a big influence when I wrote my second novel, The Wild Swans (just like Eliza, Lona wandered alone in her quest to break the enchantment, silently, helped only by her own courage, and just like Eliza, she was carried by birds to safety). I loved it that it is the Princess who saves the kingdoms and breaks the enchantment on the Prince. I love it that the chief thing emphasized about the heroine is not her beauty but her courage.
And it's just an extraordinarily beautiful book.
I saved it all these years, because even as a child, I absolutely knew that I wanted to be able to read it to my own children someday. It was a wonderful delight to introduce it, in turn, to Fiona and Delia.
[Click on any picture twice to see it up close. This is not all of the pictures and story, but most of it]
There once was an evil wizard named Druth who wanted more than anything to have the power to enchant a princess. He lived in a tower in the middle of a lake.
When he was young, he attempted to cast a spell on a princess, but he made a mistake. He got one word wrong, and instead of enchanting the princess, the spell restored all the enchanted princesses in the world to their true forms. The powers of evil punished him for his carelessness. Invisible hands ripped the spells from his books and all his memories were erased. He spent years studying, and finally, when he was ready, attempted to enchant the princess of Murlain. But his attempt failed, and in his fury, he cast spell that put all the people of the kingdom in an enchanted sleep and drowned the land under a deep lake. Next, he tried to enchant the princess of Lasair, but again his spell failed. Furious, he set the land afire, and the people fell into an enchanted sleep amidst the smouldering ashes.
The princess Lona of the third land, Yarmailt, was just a baby, too young to enchant. So he cast a spell on the land to enchant the people and cover it with mists and fog and he placed Lona in an enchanted castle, to be raised by invisible servants.
Now the Prince of Murlain, Rogain, had been gone from his home, questing, but when he came back and saw the drowned land of Murlain, and Lasair in ashes and Yarmailt covered in fog, in a fury, he rode to Druth's tower to confront the magician. Despite his trouble with princesses, Druth had no difficulty whatsoever with enchanting princes. He waved his hand and muttered a word, and Rogain dwindled down to a lowly toad. "Begone, or I will kill you," he said. The three kingdoms are destroyed and they will stay destroyed, and Lona is mine until she grows old enough for me to enchant her."
Rogain went first to visit the child Lona. She did not fear him, but grew tall and lovely, and Rogain was her only friend. He left every year to seek for news of magic that could defeat Druth and break the spell on the kingdoms, but returned every year to see Lona:
He told her about the kingdoms, and as she grew older, he told her of the enchantment on them, but not upon himself. In the long months between Rogain's visits, Lona thought of little else but rescuing the kingdoms.
Finally, Rogain found an old crone who knew the secret for rescuing the kingdoms: Lona must set out alone and find a shell to free Murlain, a key to free Lasair, and a crown to free Yarmailt. She must not give in to fear, because every time she did, the magician's power over her would grow. The only help Rogain could give her was to give her the jewel he carried on his head to guide her. With a heavy heart, Rogain returned to Lona to tell her the news, but she only smiled and nodded. She would set out to free the kingdoms. Sadly, Rogain gave her his jewel and left her.
Lona left the only home she had ever known and plunged into the fog outside her castle doorway.
But strange shapes lurked in the fog, and plucked at her dress and strange voices whispered to her. In fright, she fled back to her room.
Like a child, she scrambled into her nightgown, got into bed, and pulled the covers over her head.
The wave of Lona's fear reached Druth, and his elation and power over her grew. Now, he decided: the moment had come to enchant her! He spent his spell winging toward her--but to her fury, nothing changed but her size. She shrank until she was no bigger than a doll:
Lona wept when she realized what she had done. Her first test of courage, and she had failed. Now her clothes were too large for her to even wear. As she mopped her eyes on a fine lawn handkerchief, she suddenly realized: Why, I can make a dress out of my handkerchief! And so she did, as well as a cloak from a red petticoat.
Gathering her courage, Lona left the castle again, this time following the guidance of Rogain's jewel. Rogain's voice spoke from it and a light in it glowed whenever she moved closer to her goal. Her eyes were fixed so eagerly on the jewel, to see its light, her ears listening to hear his voice, that she forgot Druth's terrors. She journeyed on through the empty land.
The jewel guided her to the edge of a sea, where Druth's magic turned the rocks to strange animals that whispered threats of terror to her:
She waited all day beside the sea for a sign:
But the light of the jewel urged her forward. Finally, at sunset, she picked up her skirts and waded into the water.
A boat suddenly appeared, manned by a grey wooden goose, who once had been a knight that Druth had enchanted.
The boat carried her across the sea to a beach, where an enchanted hand arose out of the sand, offering her the shell that delivered Murlain's freedom.
A voice spoke, saying
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken
Let the waters over Murlain
Vanish like an evil dream
The people of Murlain awoke as the enchanted waters drained from their dwellings. They looked over the shoulders uneasily, wondering about the magician, but he was too preoccupied with stopping Lona to offer them any threat.
Seagulls came, and carried Lona far away:
When she landed, she realized to her horror that she had dropped Rogain's jewel. Now she was utterly lost, with nothing to guide her at all.
Druth sent a great bird to threaten her. It told her that her quest was lost and that she should give up, that it would take her back to her castle. But Lona knew what Rogain's voice would tell her, if she had her jewel: go forward. She crawled forward, and the bird retreated, and then vanished.
Lona wandered on. She came to a farm where she slept in the hay:
She was aided on her journey by another that Druth had enchanted, turning him into a horse:
He suggested that she go to the birds who lived by the sea, to see if any of them knew what might have become of her jewel. And lo and behold, one of them found it!
Lona continued to wander for two years, and then three. Her clothing grew thin as spiders web and her feet as tough as any peasant girl's and always, she was very lonely. But she did not give up.
Just as she had to brave the sea to save Murlain, she had to summon all her courage to go through a wall of fire to save the second kingdom. As soon as she did, a mysterious knight gave her the key that freed Lasair. As she took it, a voice spoke:
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken,
Let Lasair's long blackened ruins
Be swallowed in a tide of green
The jewel guided her to a castle guarded by a two-headed dragon. As the two head argued over which of them should eat her, Lona ran underneath the dragon's feet and out of its reach:
As she climbed the last flight of stairs, through the gate, Rogain's jewel began to glow like a star:
The key of Lasair fit into the locked door of the tower at the top of the stairs:
Nothing could be seen beyond the threshold but a windswept emptiness, shining with stars. Lona hesitated at the threshold, afraid, but Rogain's voice spoke from the blazing jewel, saying, "Go forward, Lona."
As she summoned her courage and stepped forward, a crown descended to her head from the swirling mists. A voice from the crown sang out:
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken
Let the fog that smothers Yarmailt
Melt into a sunlit day
Suddenly, Lona felt herself growing taller, even as her limbs seemed to fade away:
And then she was back in her bedroom. Everything was just as she left it three years, except for the thick layer of dust:
She heard the plop of Rogain on the steps outside and hurried to see him. But when she knelt to place the jewel on his head:
Rogain the toad suddenly faded away, leaving Rogain the man in his place:
The ending of the story of course, is happy, with the wizard's power is destroyed. Hand in hand, home to their kingdoms, came Rogain and Lona:
Edited to add: I've just learned that the human Lona photographed in the pictures is Dare Wright herself. I never knew that before!
I had always loved fairy tales, and this book had a hugely formative effect on my imagination. It was a big influence when I wrote my second novel, The Wild Swans (just like Eliza, Lona wandered alone in her quest to break the enchantment, silently, helped only by her own courage, and just like Eliza, she was carried by birds to safety). I loved it that it is the Princess who saves the kingdoms and breaks the enchantment on the Prince. I love it that the chief thing emphasized about the heroine is not her beauty but her courage.
And it's just an extraordinarily beautiful book.
I saved it all these years, because even as a child, I absolutely knew that I wanted to be able to read it to my own children someday. It was a wonderful delight to introduce it, in turn, to Fiona and Delia.
 |
| Lona, A Fairy Tale |
[Click on any picture twice to see it up close. This is not all of the pictures and story, but most of it]
 |
There once was an evil wizard named Druth who wanted more than anything to have the power to enchant a princess. He lived in a tower in the middle of a lake.
 |
When he was young, he attempted to cast a spell on a princess, but he made a mistake. He got one word wrong, and instead of enchanting the princess, the spell restored all the enchanted princesses in the world to their true forms. The powers of evil punished him for his carelessness. Invisible hands ripped the spells from his books and all his memories were erased. He spent years studying, and finally, when he was ready, attempted to enchant the princess of Murlain. But his attempt failed, and in his fury, he cast spell that put all the people of the kingdom in an enchanted sleep and drowned the land under a deep lake. Next, he tried to enchant the princess of Lasair, but again his spell failed. Furious, he set the land afire, and the people fell into an enchanted sleep amidst the smouldering ashes.
The princess Lona of the third land, Yarmailt, was just a baby, too young to enchant. So he cast a spell on the land to enchant the people and cover it with mists and fog and he placed Lona in an enchanted castle, to be raised by invisible servants.
Now the Prince of Murlain, Rogain, had been gone from his home, questing, but when he came back and saw the drowned land of Murlain, and Lasair in ashes and Yarmailt covered in fog, in a fury, he rode to Druth's tower to confront the magician. Despite his trouble with princesses, Druth had no difficulty whatsoever with enchanting princes. He waved his hand and muttered a word, and Rogain dwindled down to a lowly toad. "Begone, or I will kill you," he said. The three kingdoms are destroyed and they will stay destroyed, and Lona is mine until she grows old enough for me to enchant her."
Rogain went first to visit the child Lona. She did not fear him, but grew tall and lovely, and Rogain was her only friend. He left every year to seek for news of magic that could defeat Druth and break the spell on the kingdoms, but returned every year to see Lona:
 |
He told her about the kingdoms, and as she grew older, he told her of the enchantment on them, but not upon himself. In the long months between Rogain's visits, Lona thought of little else but rescuing the kingdoms.
 |
Finally, Rogain found an old crone who knew the secret for rescuing the kingdoms: Lona must set out alone and find a shell to free Murlain, a key to free Lasair, and a crown to free Yarmailt. She must not give in to fear, because every time she did, the magician's power over her would grow. The only help Rogain could give her was to give her the jewel he carried on his head to guide her. With a heavy heart, Rogain returned to Lona to tell her the news, but she only smiled and nodded. She would set out to free the kingdoms. Sadly, Rogain gave her his jewel and left her.
Lona left the only home she had ever known and plunged into the fog outside her castle doorway.
 |
But strange shapes lurked in the fog, and plucked at her dress and strange voices whispered to her. In fright, she fled back to her room.
Like a child, she scrambled into her nightgown, got into bed, and pulled the covers over her head.
 |
The wave of Lona's fear reached Druth, and his elation and power over her grew. Now, he decided: the moment had come to enchant her! He spent his spell winging toward her--but to her fury, nothing changed but her size. She shrank until she was no bigger than a doll:
 |
Lona wept when she realized what she had done. Her first test of courage, and she had failed. Now her clothes were too large for her to even wear. As she mopped her eyes on a fine lawn handkerchief, she suddenly realized: Why, I can make a dress out of my handkerchief! And so she did, as well as a cloak from a red petticoat.
 |
Gathering her courage, Lona left the castle again, this time following the guidance of Rogain's jewel. Rogain's voice spoke from it and a light in it glowed whenever she moved closer to her goal. Her eyes were fixed so eagerly on the jewel, to see its light, her ears listening to hear his voice, that she forgot Druth's terrors. She journeyed on through the empty land.
 |
The jewel guided her to the edge of a sea, where Druth's magic turned the rocks to strange animals that whispered threats of terror to her:
 |
She waited all day beside the sea for a sign:
 |
But the light of the jewel urged her forward. Finally, at sunset, she picked up her skirts and waded into the water.
A boat suddenly appeared, manned by a grey wooden goose, who once had been a knight that Druth had enchanted.
 |
The boat carried her across the sea to a beach, where an enchanted hand arose out of the sand, offering her the shell that delivered Murlain's freedom.
 |
A voice spoke, saying
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken
Let the waters over Murlain
Vanish like an evil dream
The people of Murlain awoke as the enchanted waters drained from their dwellings. They looked over the shoulders uneasily, wondering about the magician, but he was too preoccupied with stopping Lona to offer them any threat.
Seagulls came, and carried Lona far away:
 |
When she landed, she realized to her horror that she had dropped Rogain's jewel. Now she was utterly lost, with nothing to guide her at all.
Druth sent a great bird to threaten her. It told her that her quest was lost and that she should give up, that it would take her back to her castle. But Lona knew what Rogain's voice would tell her, if she had her jewel: go forward. She crawled forward, and the bird retreated, and then vanished.
 |
Lona wandered on. She came to a farm where she slept in the hay:
 |
She was aided on her journey by another that Druth had enchanted, turning him into a horse:
 |
He suggested that she go to the birds who lived by the sea, to see if any of them knew what might have become of her jewel. And lo and behold, one of them found it!
 |
Lona continued to wander for two years, and then three. Her clothing grew thin as spiders web and her feet as tough as any peasant girl's and always, she was very lonely. But she did not give up.
 |
Just as she had to brave the sea to save Murlain, she had to summon all her courage to go through a wall of fire to save the second kingdom. As soon as she did, a mysterious knight gave her the key that freed Lasair. As she took it, a voice spoke:
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken,
Let Lasair's long blackened ruins
Be swallowed in a tide of green
 |
The jewel guided her to a castle guarded by a two-headed dragon. As the two head argued over which of them should eat her, Lona ran underneath the dragon's feet and out of its reach:
 |
As she climbed the last flight of stairs, through the gate, Rogain's jewel began to glow like a star:
 |
The key of Lasair fit into the locked door of the tower at the top of the stairs:
 |
Nothing could be seen beyond the threshold but a windswept emptiness, shining with stars. Lona hesitated at the threshold, afraid, but Rogain's voice spoke from the blazing jewel, saying, "Go forward, Lona."
As she summoned her courage and stepped forward, a crown descended to her head from the swirling mists. A voice from the crown sang out:
When the Wizard's power is broken
By the words that I have spoken
Let the fog that smothers Yarmailt
Melt into a sunlit day
Suddenly, Lona felt herself growing taller, even as her limbs seemed to fade away:
 |
And then she was back in her bedroom. Everything was just as she left it three years, except for the thick layer of dust:
 |
She heard the plop of Rogain on the steps outside and hurried to see him. But when she knelt to place the jewel on his head:
 |
Rogain the toad suddenly faded away, leaving Rogain the man in his place:
 |
 |
The ending of the story of course, is happy, with the wizard's power is destroyed. Hand in hand, home to their kingdoms, came Rogain and Lona:
 |
Edited to add: I've just learned that the human Lona photographed in the pictures is Dare Wright herself. I never knew that before!