tempestletrope "Look, Rad, just look at the beauty in all the things around us. The snow on the trees, the grasses blowing in the wind."

tempestletrope "The forest is my favorite place to be," Isabella sighed. "I don't like being trapped in a stuffy palace. I want freedom."

tempestletrope It was so soothing to listen to the wind howling through the night. Others in her family feared the wind, but not Isabella.

tempestletrope Off to the side of the path, Isabella saw a wolf running through the snowy forest. It paid the travelers no heed as it ran.

tempestletrope "However, I am not inclined to wait until I can find a knight who wishes to accompany me to the forest. I love to go there."

tempestletrope "I quite agree," said Isabella. "But it is expected that a princess would have a knight by her side to defend her."

tempestletrope "Well, a girl needs to know how to defend herself," said Rad. "After all, not all men are gentlemen. She needs to be safe."

tempestletrope "As well, there is not nearly so much emphasis on teaching girls to fight," said Isabella. "We are not expected to do so."

tempestletrope "Well, I am glad of it," said Rad. "If you like, we could work together as well. It is best not to fight, but good to know."

tempestletrope "I learned some skill from Angus," said Isabella. "He is a squire. He helps the knights practice with sword and staff."

tempestletrope "Have you been taught to defend yourself if need be?" Rad asked. "I wonder, for sometimes royalty is not taught to fight."

tempestletrope "It is a shame that there are always a few who seem unable to allow others to dwell in peace," Isabella sighed. "Truly sad."

tempestletrope "Sometimes marauders do come to the outlands," said Rad. "But we always handle them. They don't know the forest as we do."

tempestletrope "Oh yes, I quite agree," said Isabella. "It is a fortunate thing that there has been no fighting for three full years."

tempestletrope Finally, Rad broke the silence. "I think that it is a better thing to use the lamps for a mission of peace rather than war."

tempestletrope For several minutes, Isabella was unable to even speak. She gazed in amazement into the snow-covered forest as they rode.

tempestletrope It was amazing to Isabella that none of them were wet or uncomfortable and that she could see as clearly as if it were day.

tempestletrope Kaylynn bade Isabella and Rad ride in the carriage while she and Ullv took the driver's seat, which was covered by a skin.

tempestletrope "Yes, normally we use only an open cart," Kaylynn said. "But we do not oft go to the palace in a blizzard either after all."

tempestletrope Two lanterns of Zacag were attached to the sides of the carriage. "It is rare that we use this carriage," said Rad.

tempestletrope The horses were outfitted with blankets made of the gossamer fabric and gossamer muzzles protecting their noses from frost.

tempestletrope "But she did not tell me of the magical wonders that came from the Valley, only that it had been destroyed long ago in war."

tempestletrope "My mother came from the kingdom of Mvyx. I know this is near the ruins of the Valley of Mxcd. My mother told me of it."

tempestletrope "I do hope so," Isabella said. "But my mother is second unto my father in decisions. She married into the family, you see."

tempestletrope "I feel that I can impart to your mother what a sensible girl you are, capable of making your own decisions," said Kaylynn.

tempestletrope It was decided that Ullv, Kaylynn, and Rad would accompany Isabella to the palace. Gudd and Rou would stay with the cabin.

tempestletrope "I suppose it will be better I am to return home as soon as possible," Isabella said. "But I dread my father's wrath."

tempestletrope "And my father can be very stubborn," Isabella laughed. "But you are obviously a magical people so anything is possible."

tempestletrope "Don't fret," Rad said. "Remember, my father said that he would speak with your father. My father can be very persuasive."

tempestletrope "I would like that very much, Rad," Isabella said. "But if my father forbids me to come it will be difficult." She felt sad.

tempestletrope "Hopefully my family will see a lot more of you in the future, Isabella," Rad said. " I can share tales of our ancestors."

tempestletrope "T'is a shame that the knowledge of how to create them has been lost," Isabella speculated. "But at least a few remain."

tempestletrope "Our family is descended from the sorcerers of the Valley of Mxcd," Rad explained. "These items have been passed down."

tempestletrope "I'm not the least bit cold," Isabella marveled, although she stood in the storm with Rad for some time. "How can it be?"

tempestletrope Kaylynn brought forth a cloak that was made from a gossamer fabric and bade Isabella put it on. Rad led her outdoors.

tempestletrope "I know now how we can see in the darkness. But how will we protect ourselves from the chill of this storm?" Isabella asked.

tempestletrope "I call it a Shadow Lamp," said Rad. "It allows one to have the sight of nocturnal creatures." "Amazing!" said Isabella.

tempestletrope "Zacag was an adviser to the Elven king Bjartre," Ullv explained. "The lamp without light won't reveal troops to the enemy."

tempestletrope "This lantern has also been in the family for many generations," Kaylynn explained. "It was created by the Wizard Zacag."

tempestletrope "What is this marvelous creation?" she gasped. "How can it clearly reveal what is hidden in darkness without bright light?"

tempestletrope Isabella gasped in surprise. The gray light from the lantern did not make the room any brighter but she could see clearly.

tempestletrope Continuing with Chapter 2 of our tale. Visit http://ping.fm/dJ2fd to catch up on the story so far!

Well! Ping.fm is certainly having ISSUES authenticating accounts tonight! Get it together, Ping, Love! I do not like to be kept waiting!

Has Gray Goose tastes on a Mad Dog 20/20 budget.

I fear that this woman on the Nutra System ad lost her personality along with her 28 pounds. She is a real Stepford wife.

http://ping.fm/tZPN5 Adorable animals "exercising" their right not to exercise!

It is a crying shame that such a delicate flower as myself must do all her own moving. There ought to be hunky moving men at my beck & call!

This aging business is a drag, Dahlings. I am going to invest in a pair of bifocal reading glasses so I can just keep them on while at work.

http://ping.fm/JvhZu Ladies: some of you may find this amusing.

Playing Leftover Roulette: consuming certain leftovers and hoping not to get food poisoning.

http://ping.fm/uoduz Tell lawmakers in CO: low income residents should have free phones.

And all my days are trances And all my nightly dreams Are where thy dark eye glances And where thy footstep gleams. --Edgar Allan Poe

http://ping.fm/3RGLB Tempest's Torrid Tale currently has 1822 words! I will now proceed to the second chapter, Dahlings!

tempestletrope "We can with the Lamp of Zacag," said a grinning Rad. He doused the other lamps in the room. The magical lamp glowed gray.

tempestletrope "But how can we?" Isabella asked. "The storm is so terrible. Surely we would lose our way and end up frozen to death."

tempestletrope "We will return you to your family tonight," said Ullv. "It would not do to have your mother so terribly worried for you."

tempestletrope "You would do that for me? Oh thank you!" said Isabella. "Perhaps he will hear you. You are a man near to his own age."

tempestletrope "Perhaps if we explain to your father what a good stewardess you already are to this land, he will see your way," said Ullv.

tempestletrope "None required," said Isabella. "I am in agreement with you. The triplets are 29, and all very willing to take a husband."

tempestletrope "Rou, hold your tongue," said Kaylynn. "It is bad manners to insult the ways of our guest's family." "Apologies," said Rou.

tempestletrope "The triplet sisters are ineligible for adopted? This is terrible!" said Rou. "In our land, all children are equal."

tempestletrope "My other sisters, besides Tabi, are also young," Isabella sighed. "Ebba is 12 and Yana just had her first birthday party."

tempestletrope "I do," said Isabella. "My eldest sister is married. The triplets are not, but they were adopted and thus are not eligible."

tempestletrope "Do you have sisters old enough and willing enough to wed these princes?" Rad asked. "It seems that you have many siblings."

tempestletrope "I would love that more than anything," said Isabella. "But my father is set on me marrying a prince of a neighbor kingdom."

tempestletrope "There is no reason why our land could not have a stewardess who cares for the people," said Rou. "This could be your duty."

tempestletrope "It is clear that you love this land, and that you love your family," said Ullv. "The steward of this land is a lazy sod."

tempestletrope "I can understand my father being upset with me," said Isabella, "but to be forbidden to return to this land would kill me."

tempestletrope "Oh my! Oh, what have I done?" Isabella gasped. "The bowl has sensed the trouble in your heart, dear girl," said Kaylynn.

tempestletrope The images in the bowl clouded. The water within the bowl turned black and began to swirl and heave like a storm at sea.

tempestletrope "And when she does," he continued, "I will forbid her from going to the wilds again. It is time that she chose a husband."

tempestletrope "Tabi is right, Gyta," Isabella's father said. "Surely she sought shelter at one of the farms. She'll return soon, I know."

tempestletrope Isabella began to weep as well. "Dear Tabi, wise beyond her years," she sniffled. "I cause nothing but pain to my family."

tempestletrope "There, there, Mother," said Isabella's eight-year-old sister Tabea. "Surely she is staying with one of the farm families."

tempestletrope "Oh, the foolish, foolish girl!" Isabella could hear her mother's voice echoing in her ears. "Why must she be so impulsive?"

tempestletrope Isabella did as she was bidden. She gasped as she saw her parents, four brothers, and seven sisters. They were weeping.

tempestletrope "Dip your fingers into the bowl and it will allow us to see visions of the things that concern you most greatly."

tempestletrope "Well, the bowl has been in my family for generations," said Kaylynn. "As to the others, they are more magic than myth."

tempestletrope "The Vally of Mxcd was destroyed 1100 years ago!" Isabella gasped. "And I thought that Frup and Tvug were places of myth."

tempestletrope "This is the bowl of Gqa from the Valley of Mxcd," she said. "In it is sap from the Tree of Frup and sand from Tvug."

tempestletrope She sprinkled shimmery dark-blue dust over the syrupy liquid, poured water into the bowl, and stirred the with a wand.

tempestletrope Kaylynn took a shallow bowl carved of delicate pink stone from her cupboard. She poured in a drop of taupe-colored liquid.

tempestletrope "Oh, I so hope that my father did not send soldiers to look for me--or that he and my brothers did not come themselves!"

tempestletrope "I fear I did just that today," Isabella said, looking at her feet. "I felt that the forest folk might need provisions."

tempestletrope "We can see that you wish to remedy this situation," said Ullv. "But you must not let eagerness get the better of sense."

tempestletrope "But you know, sometimes royalty remains so separate from other folk," Isabella said. "Even when we have good intentions."

tempestletrope "My dear, of course you would," said Kaylynn, sensing Isabella's distress. "As I said, this is a benevolent monarchy."

tempestletrope "Well, I would welcome you!" Isabella said, suddenly feeling saddened that there was such distance between royalty and folk.

tempestletrope "Yes, but do you suppose that such simple folk as ourselves would truly be welcome in the palace?" Gudd asked.

tempestletrope "Brother Gudd especially appreciates the different stones that the gods and goddesses of Earth have given us," Rad said.

tempestletrope "Oh, it is a grand building! I would like to take you all there sometime. I think that you would admire the stone work."

tempestletrope As if noticing Isabella's embarrassment, Rad spoke up. "How is life in the palace? I always admire it when in the city."

tempestletrope. Isabella blushed, suddenly feeling ashamed. The grand palace where she lived must seem terribly ostentatious to these folk.

tempestletrope "There is plentiful game," said Rou. "And there is plentiful timber. We take what is needed. We have no need for grandeur."

tempestletrope "No, my girl. The land is fertile and though there is distance between neighboring houses, we help one another," said Ullv.

tempestletrope "Is there anything that I can do to make things better?" Isabella asked. "The folk in this area are so remote from us."

tempestletrope "All right," Kaylynn agreed. "We are very happy here, Isabella. This is a benevolent monarchy. Ullv and I have known worse."

tempestletrope "Dear Lady Kaylynn, while I am here, I would like to feel like a friend, not a sovereign. Please, just call me Isabella."

tempestletrope "We are well and happy, your Majesty--I mean, Princess Isabella," said Kaylynn. "The forest provides what we need to live."

I simply could not live without Ping.fm, Dahlings! And last.fm generally provides my musical score. So much is done via Internet these days!

tempestletrope Oh, the scourge of being wonderful but not famous, Dahlings! I am cold and tired, yet must brave the elements for my job.

RT @eelkat "Lets make the best of our disgusting lifes. It's the only life we have, anyway." -Unknown quote

tempestletrope Isabella bade the good folk treat her as if she were a member of the family. She asked how the forest dwellers fared lately.

Just like my little Twitter tale, it's very cold here today. Not a blizzard but surely on the chilly side at 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Could it be that the forest folk yet lived? Were Ullv and Kaylynn and their three long-limbed, slender sons in fact elven or perhaps dryads?

It was only legend, of course, but her nurse had often told her tales of the forest folk. Supposedly, they had disappeared centuries ago.

Isabella had never really noticed these folk up close before, and she said nothing, but Ullv especially appeared to be other than human.

The father, Ullv, had eyes of brilliant green, blue-black hair, and skin of a slightly greenish cast. He looked to be a forest elemental.

Kaylynn had charcoal-colored hair and eyes that were gray-green like the fog outside. Like her husband and sons she was very tall and slim.

Gudd had dark golden hair and hazel eyes. Rou was different from his brothers. He had charcoal-colored hair and gray eyes.

At 24, Gudd was the middle brother. The eldest brother, Rou, was 28. All the men in the family were very slender and surprisingly strong.

"Mother, we have put the Jluva in the smokehouse and strung the line between the buildings," said Gudd. "We will hie to dress the beast."

"We will get you home as soon as we can, your Majesty," Rad promised. At that moment his brothers and father hurried into the cabin.

"It moved more quickly than I thought," she said, distressed. "Father and mother will be terribly worried. Curse this storm! I can't leave."

"Oh, but I'm sure that if I hurry, I can get home before the storm," Isabella said. Then she looked out the window at the gray-green fog.

"We saw you walking across the glade, your Majesty," Rad continued. "The others sent me ahead to bring you to our home. You must stay now."

"Quite close, Mother. We found a Jluva in the thicket. Gudd and Rou are carrying it hence. Father is bringing the wood on the sledge."

"How kind of your Majesty," said Kaylynn. "But I fear it will not be safe for you to go home now. Are your father and brothers close, Rad?"

"I wanted to be sure that the people of the forest were well provisioned and adequately sheltered for the coming storm," Isabella said.

"Your majesty, I welcome you," Mother Kaylynn said, bowing to the princess. "Whatever brings you out on such a day as this? A storm comes."

Isabella followed Rad into the cabin. His mother stood beside a wood-burning stove, stirring a kettle. She smelled bread baking as well.

Isabella supposed that Rad was not what might be deemed handsome, but he wasn't ugly in her eyes. It was folly to seek only comeliness.

Rad had red-brown hair and golden eyes. His face was slim and angular and he had a sharp, prominent nose. His teeth were slightly crooked.

Rad was a wispy, rosy-cheeked fellow. He looked as if he might blow away in a strong wind, but Isabella knew him to be surprisingly strong.

Some people thought that Rad was ugly, but Isabella found his gentle honest manner a refreshing change from the vain suitors who oft called.

"I am sorry to have frightened you, Princess," Rad said. "Please come into our home. It is not a good day for you to be out walking alone."

Isabella turned to see the youngest brother who lived in the little cabin: 18 year old Rad. He was a kind fellow, but he quite startled her.

Isabella jumped and stifled a shriek when she heard a deep voice from behind her. "Princess, what are you doing out on such a day as this?"

Isabella knew the family in the cabin to be hard-working but isolated, living on the outskirts of the kingdom. She decided to check on them.

http://ping.fm/KjZhF To review the story so far, Dahlings, please click the lovely little link.

Tempest LeTrope is breaking out of her writer's block, Dahlings. But first I must dine. I am FAMISHED!