Fortune's Fool - Mercedes Lackey [0]
MERCEDES LACKEY
and her Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms
Fortune’s Fool
“A quick and enchanting read that fans of the series will devour.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Fans of Lackey’s Valdemar series as well as general fantasy enthusiasts should enjoy this classic fairy tale with a pair of proactive, resourceful heroes.”
—Library Journal
One Good Knight
“Delivers the literary goods in a big way: nonstop action and intrigue, ill-fated romance, [and] jaw-dropping plot twists…Enjoy!”
—Explorations
“A lot of fairy-tale conventions get turned on their heads…for an entertaining light fantasy with just a touch of romance at the end.”
—LOCUS
“Mercedes Lackey has written another exciting fantasy filled with action, humor, and intrigue…This is a magical treat.”
—The Best Reviews
The Fairy Godmother
“[A] wry and scintillating take on the Cinderella story…resonates with charm as magical as the fairy tale she portrays.”
—BookPage
“Enchanting…Lackey has created an intelligent, self-possessed heroine with whom many readers will identify.”
—Publishers Weekly
MERCEDES LACKEY
Fortune’s Fool
www.LUNA-Books.com
Dear Reader,
I’m a big fan of ballet and classical music, and nowhere do the two go hand in hand quite so voluptuously as in the Russian repertoire. What the Italians did for opera, making it a grand spectacle, the Russians did for ballet. Even people who know nothing about dance recognize scenes and melodies from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. But there is a world more of Russian ballets out there based on purely Russian myths and legends. These are what I went to for Fortune’s Fool. I borrowed from The Little Humpback Horse, The Snow Maiden, The Firebird, The Stone Flower and Sadko, a piece that is very little known in the West. The productions on my treasured videotapes and DVDs are lush, opulent, wildly colorful and immensely fun.
And the theme of the wise fool runs through dozens of Russian fairy tales, making it a natural for The Tradition to employ. Of course, as with other Five Hundred Kingdoms books, I’ve borrowed liberally from the tales of other countries, too, so you will find Japanese kitsune, Arabian djinni and Celtic swan maidens here, as well. And, as ever, this humble storyteller hopes that the feast laid out for you pleases.
The much-loved Cinderella is featured in my first book, The Fairy Godmother, while One Good Knight has some traditional dragons and European fairy tales at its center. And I’m pleased that you’ll soon be able to check out The Snow Queen, which borrows from many Scandinavian and Norse tales.
Enjoy!
Mercedes Lackey
To Larry: Because he makes me laugh.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Shafts of golden light pierced the green twilight, penetrating the waving fronds of the forest to leave pools of light on the ground. The path to the Great Palace, paved with pearl shell, unraveled along the sand; a broad ribbon of iridescence, suddenly burning into a patch of blinding white when one of those shafts touched it. On either side of the path, at charmingly irregular intervals, stands of long, waving kelp, beds of colorful anemones, and coral “bushes” were being carefully tended by a small horde of tiny sea creatures.
No one ever actually set foot on the path, or truly even needed to use it. This was, after all, the bottom of the sea. People swam. Even the few two-legged people, like the Sea King’s children, swam.
Nevertheless there was a path, winding through a “forest,” though the forest was kelp, the “birds” were fish, and even the “hawks” had an analogue in the form of sharks and other predators.
There were all these things because the path went to a palace. The Tradition said that all palaces should have winding paths traveling through mysterious forests filled with enchanting