The Ninth Region
Knighting Nettle
by
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…”The celebration is about to begin and the Sco family are sitting in the front row. King Otto and Queen Dana have now arrived along with the King's council. They crossed over to the stage area on the left. Everyone is cheering and clapping. After all, the Ice Lady is finally gone because of Gloria. This meant that the three-year long war has finally come to an end! One of the many bears on the stage blows on a long silver horn. This is the signal to everyone to quiet down so the ceremony can begin and immediately, they become quiet. … King Otto continues talking saying, “We are all in your debt, my three brave heroes, and as for you Gloria, because you had the strength to end the Ice Lady’s life, please tell me how I can reward you?”… Every one stood up as Nettle and the other three patriots came out from one of the castle caves. They received such a glorious welcome from all in the community! King Otto called all of them to come up in front of him and kneel down. He said, “Because of your volunteering, your bravery, and your sacrifice in facing unspeakable dangers; I, King Otto of the Ninth Region, am offering to you the opportunity of knighthood. However, in order be knighted, you must pass a test that I put before you. Do you accept this challenge?" At the top of their voices all four bears yelled, "Yes we do!” Then, King Otto said, "Remain in the capital city after the celebration and each of you will be given your own quest to perform as your personal test for knighthood.” Nettle and his fellow patriots are very happy and honored. To be knighted was a very prestigious thing, especially for them who were from the poorest of families. They now stood up and turned to the crowd. The cheers and whistles became even louder than ever. Everyone was very, very excited! After the ceremony was finished, Nettle rejoined his family and together they feasted and danced the night away with no thoughts of anything except to just have fun and to enjoy each other’s company.
CHAPTER TWO In the mean time Far to the north, the Polar Spirit was home, or what he calls home. It was a cold, dark cave so far north that no one ever ventured there. Actually, no one ever even remembered that it existed at all. Here, along with the Polar Spirit were his soldiers that do his evil deeds. These soldiers looked like small polar bears. They also had wings and were translucent just like the Polar Spirit; however, these soldiers had no gemstones. They were all dark and drab and not pretty at all! They also would fight each other over anything and everything. There were hundreds of these evil spirit soldiers. These soldiers were flying non-stop in and out of the abyss of the Fire Prince. This pit is where the Fire Prince made his home. He lived deep inside the earth. The opening crevice of this abyss was located near the Polar Spirit’s cave. The Fire Prince and the Polar Spirit now called upon everyone to gather. The Polar Spirit’s soldiers are not the only ones there. There are other creatures called the Mustelines and the Grunters. The Mustelines are in the family of the weasel. They had really sharp teeth. Covered in fur, their markings are spotted, similar to that of a hyena. The Grunters are large wild pigs that have a huge nose with gray colored whiskers. The creature’s ears were tall and their largest fangs stuck out of their mouths even when it was closed. They had whisker like hair on their noses that also could be found on their bodies. Grunters stand on four legs, like the Mustelines do, but they have hoofs instead of paws. This meeting with the Polar Spirit and the Fire Prince was going on at same time the celebration was going on at King Otto’s capital. The Fire Prince spoke first, “I am the maker of our destiny, No one else can fulfill it! It is I who knows all real truth I am the Lord of this world called Earth! No one can change my chosen course!
It is I who value evil – my path is clear, I am the Lord over all things! No spirits of The Mighty Eagle have the power to deter me for I know my destiny! It is I who lords over our destiny, no one else!”
Then the Polar Spirit addressed the group in a robust voice that shook the walls of the cave, “I have a plan. We are sending an imposter to join our little group of ‘heroes’. This imposter will appear as a human boy. He will then plant doubt and fear in the thoughts of our enemies. Our spy will be able to use his influence to change the thinking of those we wish to destroy. He will then lead them to a path of evil and against the will of their Spirit friends! The name of the one to do this is the faithful soldier known as Trieste. He will be the undoing of our enemies, ha ha! I, the Polar Spirit, will be able to see it all and relish in their destruction thus killing The Might Eagle’s plans as well as the plans for those he cares for!” Trieste stepped out for all to see whom he was and accepted the noises of approval from the group!
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About the Book
It is a great time for celebration now that the Ice Lady, Polar Spirit, and Fire Prince have disappeared. Mom and Dad Sco, bear twins Gloria and Nathan, their brother, Nettle, and their newest family member, Vincent the overgrown frog, are journeying to the capital so King Otto can honor them for freeing the Ice Lady’s captives. Once they arrive, Nettle is given the opportunity to earn knighthood by performing a task for King Otto: to bring him an old goat’s magical horn that, with its powers, will make the kingdom stronger.
With Vincent, Nettle travels outside the Ninth Region to a different reality. But what Nettle does not know is that the forces of the Fire Prince and the Polar Spirit are preparing wicked plans for Nettle, Vincent, and their new friends. Can Nettle overcome great obstacles in order to get the magical horn back to his King?
In this suspenseful adventure, a young bear and a frog embark on a journey full of unknown paths, dangers, and risks as they attempt to take on evil forces in order to fulfill an important mission for a king.
“… This story is a great example of perseverance and keeping faith during challenging times …” —S. Veazey, teacher
About the Author
Having a BS in Business and working as bookkeeper and business owner has done nothing to quality me to write. However, being my parents’ daughter has. My mother was the foreman of the art department of a printing business. She was one of the very few women in our city that had a “man’s” career outside of the home and had a business education beyond high school. My father was a disabled vet from WWII. His family emigrated from Italy before the depression. He improved his command of the English language by reading the newspaper and using the dictionary. This, in turn, allowed opened him to be an editorial writer for the Auburn, New York newspaper. He also created, edited, and contributed to a local magazine that was distributed to the veterans of Central New York.
My parents taught me to look at things for what they were, not to give up when you gave your word. We would have all these discussions over the dinner table where I had to support an opinion or statement that I let slip from my mouth. I was always made to read an article from the front page out loud and then explain what it meant. By looking at other families and looking at my own family I came to the conclusion that we were weird, different, and unique.
Between my family, all my kids’ friends, the children at church, I have learned to see each as an individual. School and sporting experiences put me in a situation to me see how parents relate to their children. I have also inherited a love to write, to share lessons and to share facts on a little known subject through the medium of a good story.
I was born and raised in Central New York. After graduating from college and marrying, my new family, consisting of my husband, myself, and a 9 month old little girl, moved with to Houston, Texas. There I was challenged as my family grew.
Having a Mom that had an education and career was not the norm at that time. Neither was having a Dad whose family emigrated from Italy to the USA before the depression. As a young child my imagination and reasoning abilities were challenged by my father. I can tell you that from my Dad, I have inherited a love to write, to share lessons and/or to share history through the medium of a good story. It is my love. It is a commitment that I have made to myself, to others, and most importantly, to my God.” Donna Scozzari can be contacted at d.scozzari@yahoo.com or check out my website, www.d-scozzari.com.