The Quest for Seven Castles by Ed Dunlop

Author:Ed Dunlop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, fantasy, allegory, princesses, castles, medieval, knights, princes
Publisher: Ed Dunlop

Chapter Eleven

Prince Josiah turned in the saddle and looked back at the Castle of Knowledge nestled in the beautiful valley below. The castle was so tiny—how could it possibly have housed the vast Library of Learning? He shook his head in bewilderment. The tiny castle with its infinite library now held special memories for him. The countless hours of exploration within the volumes had greatly increased his knowledge of King Emmanuel and deepened his love for the great monarch.

Turning to the narrow trail that meandered into the forest, he urged his horse to a gentle canter. “This horse is named ‘Hugo’, my lord,” the stablehand had told him as he saddled the tall roan stallion for Josiah. The boy had a speech impediment, and Josiah had struggled to understand him. “He is a bad horse, hard to control.”

Josiah had laughed at the lad’s attempts to warn him. “I’ve ridden hard-headed horses before,” he had told the boy, confident in his own riding abilities. “I won’t let him give me any trouble.” He chuckled at the memory. Hugo had given him just a moment’s argument when he first climbed into the saddle, tossing his head and bucking once or twice until Josiah had slapped him on the side of the neck with the reins. But after just one application of the reins, the roan had settled down immediately. “I guess you know who’s in charge here, don’t you, Hugo?” he said aloud.

Josiah rode along at any easy canter. The morning was cool but the sun was warm in the places where it shone through the trees to strike the earth in bright splashes of golden sunlight. From time to time the young prince caught a glimpse of the gentle dove as it flitted overhead above the trees. All went well until Josiah came to a fork in the trail. He reined Hugo to a stop and consulted his book to learn that he needed to take the trail to the right.

“Hurry along, Hugo,” Josiah said, lifting the reins and guiding the horse to the right. But Hugo had ideas of his own. Tossing his head, he turned and took the trail to the left. He broke into a trot.

“Whoa, Hugo! Whoa!” Josiah shouted, pulling on the reins in an attempt to turn the horse around. “This is the wrong trail!” But the horse lowered his head and surged ahead, breaking into a run as if to show that he would not be controlled and would make his own decisions.

“Whoa!” Josiah stood in the stirrups and jerked back on the reins. The horse responded by turning from the trail and running at full speed through the forest. Josiah dropped back in the saddle and held on tight, ducking when overhanging branches threatened to unseat him. He pulled at the reins. “Whoa, Hugo! Whoa!”

The stubborn horse snorted, shook his head fiercely, and plunged on ahead. Faster and faster he ran, darting around trees and leaping over fallen logs. The forest was darker here, and a small branch struck Josiah in the face before he even saw it.

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