A Saga of Shadows and Sorcery: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Moving Day Madness

Valerian Todd was feeling a little lost. The place he had previously called home, a big house that belonged to the big people who he knew as "Grandfather" and "Grand-mum," was far away now. The big person who Valerian knew as "Mother" was carrying him through a forest that was strange and unknown to him, and strange and unknown things made Valerian feel afraid and sad. The big person who Valerian knew as "Dad" was walking a short distance behind them, managing a kitten-laden pet carrier in each hand and cheerfully encouraging Valerian's older sister Holly to keep up as she toddled alongside him and the cats.

They crossed a bridge over a river and then took a winding path up a hill until they reached a picturesque little thatched-roof cottage near a waterfall. An old man dressed in forest green was waiting for them. He gave a big smile when he saw them. "Basil!" he called out as they drew near, hurrying towards them but then rushing past Valerian and his mother to greet his father. "My dear great-nephew! How goes it?"

"It's been a long journey, Uncle Alder," Basil replied, "but the children are too young for broomsticks or transportalation, so we had no choice but to use non-magical means of travel."

"My goodness! That must have been a long journey indeed," Alder commented. Then he turned to the toddler who was standing next to her father. "And Holly the Jolly! Last I saw thee, thou wert small enough to fit inside the shell of my largest pompion."

Holly giggled, very amused by her great-great-uncle's strange manner of speech.

Briar's mother took a step towards the rest of the gathering, bringing him with her. "Thank you for inviting our family to move into your home, Mister Todd," she said with a crisp air of forced politeness.

"Think nothing of it, Belladonna. The presence of children will enliven this cottage. Speaking of which, do I have the pleasure of making the acquaintance of little Valerian?"

"Yes, this is Valerian, the latest heir to your dearly departed brother's esteemed bloodline," Belladonna responded, adjusting her arms slightly so that Alder could get a better look at the infant she was holding. Valerian also took the opportunity to get a better look at this previously unknown relative -- Uncle Alder had glowing eyes like Grandfather's, and a pointy gray beard.

"Well, my dear family, I offer you all welcome," Alder said with a courteous bow. "I hope your familiars get along well with Lord Wifflefluff. I have already taken the liberty of setting up the spare room for you, and I built a play-fortress out of old blankets behind the cottage, to serve as a sort of outdoor nursery for the children, since my humble abode has no room for a proper nursery indoors. Basil, you may set up your alchemy laboratory around the cauldron as per our agreement."

"Thank you, Uncle," Basil replied warmly. "The magical movers should be arriving shortly to transportalate the rest of our effects here. Shall I tell them to bring the children's toys to the blanket fortress?"

"That is the purpose I built it for. Please, make yourselves at home." With that, Alder turned around and went into the cottage.

Belladonna gave an irritated huff, finally letting go of the polite front she'd been putting on. "Well, this is it. As of today, we're officially trading The Glimmerbrook Watchtower, your father's spacious and luxurious manor, for your great-uncle's tiny rustic cottage."

"But darling, don't forget the terms of the agreement," Basil said to his wife as he released the kittens from their pet carriers. "In exchange for our family moving here and living with Uncle Alder to keep him company in his old age, we shall become the masters of the Todd family's ancestral home upon his natural passing."

"I know," Belladonna snapped back. "I would never have agreed to this otherwise."

Basil decided it would be wise to change the subject. "The children must be hungry after our journey here. It looks like Uncle Alder set up a couple of chairs for them at his table; I'll go get Holly some food if you'll feed Valerian.

Belladonna huffed again as she started to unbutton the front of her dress. "At least the air out here is nice and fresh, although Glimmerbrook's air wasn't bad either."

While Belladonna gave Valerian his breakfast, Basil carried Holly to a high chair, set her down in it, and placed a bowl of cereal in front of her. Holly proceeded to demonstrate what might have been her first magic power: her ability to fling food everywhere in her immediate vicinity while also getting enough of it in her mouth to nourish her.

Alder came back out of the cottage through the side door. "Ah, Basil, there is one more thing I forgot to mention: the packets of seeds which you requested are on the counter in the kitchen."

"Thank you again, Uncle." With that, Basil went into the cottage to get his new seeds. Belladonna finished feeding Valerian, re-secured her dress, propped him up on her shoulder and patted his back until he burped. Holly also finished her breakfast, and when Basil returned from inside the cottage, he picked her up out of the high chair, placed her gently back down on the ground, retrieved her empty bowl from the tray and took it inside to wash it. Meanwhile, as soon as her feet were on the ground, Holly immediately began to explore her new surroundings. Alder went through a gate in a stone fence that formed a paddock next to the cottage and began chatting with some kind of long-necked, long-haired, banana-eared creature that Valerian had never seen before.

Belladonna carried Valerian around to the back of the cottage, and she gave a slight smile when she saw a toybox, dollhouse and playmat waiting inside the blanket tent that Alder had set up. "Oh, good, it looks like the magical movers have already begun their work, and they brought the children's toys first as I instructed. Let's see what else is back here..." She went around another corner and found a small square table with a couple of chairs, and four rows of small things that Valerian wasn't familiar with on the interestingly-patterned top of the table. "A chess set!" Belladonna exclaimed. "This will be useful for introducing the children to the fine art of strategic plotting when they're a bit older. For now, this chair will serve a simpler purpose." She sat down and cradled Valerian in her arms. "Time for a nap, my little warlock," she cooed.

Valerian gave a big yawn, and then he drifted off to sleep.

When Valerian woke up from his nap, Belladonna got up from the chair, carried him to the blanket tent, and set him down on the playmat, lying on his back. Then, feeling secure in the belief that her son would be safe and comfortable for now, she went to check on how the move was going. The fact that Valerian had been asleep but now he was awake made him sad, and he started to cry.

Alder hurried over to see what was going on. "What is the matter, Valerian?" He knelt down and took a good look at his great-great-nephew. "It seems thou art well fed and newly rested, therefore the trouble lieth elsewhere. Perhaps thou art disturbed by thy sense of thine own infantile vulnerability? Well, there is no better place to begin than the beginning." With that, Alder gently flipped Valerian over onto his tummy. Surprised by the sudden change of orientation, Valerian struggled to get his tiny arms underneath his upper body. "Facing adversity will make thee grow strong, little one," Alder encouraged the infant.

Valerian managed to get his hands close enough to his shoulders that he could try to support himself, and then he pushed down with his arms and lifted his neck and shoulder muscles -- and he raised his head on his own! There was so much to see: the toybox in front of him, and the dollhouse next to it, and the patterns on the walls of the blanket fort around him, and Uncle Alder kneeling next to him.

"Well done! That is enough training for now," Alder said as he carefully flipped Valerian over onto his back. "For thy next lesson in gaining strength, allow me to demonstrate." Alder lay down on his back on the old quilt he'd used as a floor for the fort, and he started doing crunches.

At that moment, Belladonna returned. When she saw what was going on, she paused briefly with a look of confusion and disdain on her face. "Mister Todd, what are you doing?"

"Teaching the little one how to increase his physical strength," Alder replied.

"He's... a baby," Belladonna said, still somewhat dumbfounded. "He can't do crunches yet."

"I am perfectly well aware. I was merely giving a demonstration."

"I... see..." Belladonna responded, even though clearly she didn't see at all. "Thank you, Mister Todd; I'll take it from here."

While they were talking, Basil's Scottish Fold kitten familiar, Petunia Todd, came over to them, curled up on the edge of the quilt, and fell asleep. Alder took his leave, and Belladonna got an infant toy out of the toy chest, went back around to the outer side of the playmat so she could face Valerian, knelt down and began to wave the toy around in front of him.

Valerian watched the green ring, almost mesmerized by its movement. He wanted to hold it. He tried to lift his arm up...

"That's right," Belladonna whispered. "Reach for it."

Valerian stretched out his arm towards the toy!

"Excellent!" Belladonna exclaimed. "Today you reach for a plaything, but someday, you will reach for power. I'm so proud of you!"

Basil strolled over. "What's going on, dear?"

"Our son just reached for something for the first time!" Belladonna gushed.

"Babies learn quickly, don't they? I just finished helping Holly with a bit of potty training. Oh, and the magical movers had a question they wanted to ask you about where you wanted them to put your candle-making workbench. I can watch Valerian for a little while as you take care of that."

Belladonna left, and Basil smiled at his son. "I hope this cottage is starting to feel like home to you already, Valerian. When I was a boy, I was under a lot of pressure, growing up as the only heir to the ancient and venerable House Todd and all that. But during my visits to Uncle Alder at this cottage, I felt like I could relax, spend time out of doors and not have to worry about all that stuffy nonsense. It was here that I first discovered my passion for alchemy. That's why I jumped on the opportunity when Uncle Alder offered to let us move in with him. It'll be much better for you and Holly to grow up here than at The Glimmerbrook Watchtower..."

While Basil was going on with his monologue, Valerian fell asleep.

He was awakened by the sound of his mother's voice. "Valerian, it's time for your next feeding." Belladonna picked Valerian up, fed him, and burped him. Then she put him back down on the playmat. Valerian was not a fan of being put down -- being held was so much more warm and comfortable. Still, having a full tummy made it that much easier for him to fall back to sleep.

Valerian woke up feeling sad because he was awake again, and because there was a plague of itchiness burning his bottom. He cried and fussed. An exhausted Basil came to the rescue. "Phew! I think someone needs his nappy changed." He picked Valerian up, carried him into the cottage through the side door, took him through a narrow hallway with a fairly large fireplace on one side, and brought him into Uncle Alder's bedroom, which was the only place they had been able to find space for the changing table. Basil set Valerian down on his back on the changing table's cushion, but then before he had a chance to change Valerian's diaper, he gave an enormous yawn. "Sorry... too... tired..." With that, he passed out. Valerian started fussing again, but Basil was out cold and couldn't hear him.

Luckily, this time it was Alder's turn to come to the rescue. "Oh dear, it would seem my poor nephew is most fatigued from the process of moving house," he commented as he stepped around Basil on the floor. "Fret not, Valerian. Uncle Alder is here."

Valerian tried to tell his great-great-uncle that he was tired, hungry, itchy and worried about his dad, but all that came out was "Aaah!"

"Thou art most welcome," Alder replied as he changed Valerian's diaper. "I am glad to assist your father and mother, especially in circumstances such as... these."

Basil woke up and picked himself up off the floor. "What happened? I was about to change Valerian's nappy..."

"I shall ensure the little one is changed and fed," Alder replied. "Thou must needs rest."

Basil left, and Alder prepared a baby bottle and then picked Valerian up. "'Tis time for supper!" Valerian had never seen his great-great-uncle's slitted, glowing eyes up close before, and he found them a bit unnerving.

Even so, Valerian was hungry, and he took the bottle. When he was finished, Alder burped him, and then carried him back out through the hallway into the next room over. There was a set of bunk beds next to the wall on Valerian and Alder's right, with Basil sleeping in the bottom bunk and Belladonna sleeping in the top bunk. There was a toddler bed next to the wall on Briar and Alder's left, with Holly sleeping in it. And there was an empty crib in the middle of the room, with its head next to the wall beneath the window. Alder changed Valerian into his pajamas and set him down in the crib, whispered "Good night, sweet prince," and left.

Valerian didn't feel like it was a good night. He fussed and cried as he tried in vain to go to sleep.

Eventually, Valerian did get to sleep. Unfortunately, being an infant, he didn't stay asleep for long -- especially not with Uncle Alder's familiar, Lord Wifflefluff, waltzing into the room like he owned the place and making loud "Arf! Ruff!" noises. Belladonna was also awakened by the nuisance, and she gave the unicorgi a scolding, and then managed to get Valerian back to sleep.