The Princelings of the East
By Jemima Pett
5/5
()
About this ebook
The Princelings of the East is the first of a trilogy telling of the adventures of Fred and George. Over three stories they solve problems caused by unintended consequences, commercial greed, unprincipled actions and blind prejudice yet still find time for troubled love affairs and disastrous inventions.
Book 1 opens with our Princeling heroes at the Castle in the Marsh. When the King's Birthday feast is ruined by an unnatural power drain, they leave their scientific experiments to set out in search of answers. They encounter the enigmatic businessman Hugo, the impressive Prince of Buckmore, the wise Lady Nimrod, the irrepressible barkeeper Victor, but find themselves threatened by those with vested interests. The scene shifts from a rural, feudal setting to the towers and heights of the curious Isle of Hattan, but where, or when, are they? Time is of the essence in solving this puzzle, and our heroes must keep their wits sharp and their heads clear if they are to survive.
Suitable for ages 10 and over, The Princelings of the East is a fantasy adventure with the charm of the Wind in the Willows in a complete world reminiscent of Anne MacCaffrey's Pern.
The 2nd Edition amends the longer sentences but leaves the long words which kids liked. Some conversations which were described in a paragraph are now detailed in up to two pages, especially for the discussions of the time tunnel. I hope you like the changes.
The trilogy is also available as a single paperback - see link for details.
The Buzz
"The Princelings of the East is an enchanting tale that will delight boys and be very much enjoyed by girls. This fourth to sixth grade chapter book will keep young readers enthralled for hours on end. You will find well-rounded characters, an interesting plot and many adventures within the pages of this book. I truly enjoyed the tale and loved the telling. It relates a completely new idea in a medieval fantasy setting. The plot will be enjoyed by all the inventors or thinkers in your home. It will be a welcome volume in any home, school, or library shelves. " - Reader's Favorite
"The Princelings of the East is a suspense-filled mystery strong on character development, with a deliciously complex and engaging plot, that is sure to be enjoyed by older tweens and adults alike." - Mother Daughter Book Reviews
Jemima Pett
Jemima Pett has been living in a world of her own for many years. Writing stories since she was eight, drawing maps of fantasy islands with train systems and timetables at ten. Unfortunately no-one wanted a fantasy island designer, so she tried a few careers, getting great experiences in business, environmental research and social work. She finally got back to building her own worlds, and wrote about them. Her business background enabled her to become an independent author, responsible for her own publications.Her first series, the Princelings of the East, mystery adventures for advanced readers set in a world of tunnels and castles entirely populated by guinea pigs, is now complete. The tenth and final book, Princelings Revolution, came out in October 2020. Jemima does chapter illustrations for these. She has also edited two volumes of Christmas stories for young readers, the BookElves Anthologies, and her father's memoirs White Water Landings, about the Imperial Airways flying boat service in Africa. She has compiled four collections of flash fiction tales, publishing in the first half of 2021. She is now writing the third in her science fiction series set in the Viridian System, in which the aliens include sentient trees.Jemima lived in a village in Norfolk with her guinea pigs, the first of whom, Fred, George, Victor and Hugo, provided the inspiration for her first stories, The Princelings of the East. She is now living in Hampshire, writing science fiction for grown-ups, hatching plans for a new series, and writing more short stories for anthologies.
Read more from Jemima Pett
BookElves Anthology Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Princelings of the East Books 4-6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Messenger Misadventures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBookElves Anthology Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Princelings of the East Books 1-3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Princelings of the East
Titles in the series (10)
The Princelings of the East Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Princelings and the Pirates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Talent Seekers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Traveler in Black and White Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Princelings and the Lost City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Princelings of the North Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBravo Victor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilloughby the Narrator Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChronicles of Marsh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincelings Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
The Girl in the Train Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Princelings and the Pirates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl in the Train: A Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl from Farris’s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Warden War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincelings Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl from Farris's Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStar Trek: Sargasso Sector Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Spacejunk! The Hunt for AI: Spacejunk!, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Princess of Oz Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Flying Castle Stories, 1, 2 and 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreddy! Locked in Space Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Redneck Riviera: The Redneck Riviera Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove at All Ages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl From Farris's: "Anger and hate against one we love steels our hearts, but contempt or pity leaves us silent and ashamed." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt's A Redneck Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGentlemen's Accord Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Ball: A Short Story Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Swift Shifts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWheels in the Sky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl Who Froze the World: Fairendale, #19 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJill the Reckless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jill the Reckless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Abducted to Oz Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Golden Ball Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Coward Behind the Curtain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJill the Reckless: 'You would not enjoy Nietzsche, sir. He is fundamentally unsound'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Hero's Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Empire: The Legend Of The Gate Keeper, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJack O' Judgment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
YA Fantasy For You
Shatter Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Once Upon a Broken Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six of Crows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Destroy Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unravel Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wizard of Earthsea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Selection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ignite Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Soul as Cold as Frost: The Winter Souls Series, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dance of Thieves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caraval Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finale: A Caraval Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legendary: A Caraval Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shadows Between Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadow and Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giver: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sorcery of Thorns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hobbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These Violent Delights Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vow of Thieves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Prince: New Translation by Richard Mathews with Restored Original Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heartless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hero and the Crown Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rule of Wolves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bloodmarked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sabriel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crooked Kingdom: A Sequel to Six of Crows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Princelings of the East
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Princelings of the East - Jemima Pett
The Princelings of the East
By Jemima Pett

Princelings Pubns Logo.pngPrincelings Publications presents:
The Princelings of the East
© J M Pett 2011-13, 2020
This edition revised 2020
Cover illustration by Danielle English kanizo.co.uk
Chapter illustrations by the author
Smashwords Edition 3.0
Other books in this series
The Princelings and the Pirates
The Princelings and the Lost City
The Traveler in Black and White
The Talent Seekers
Bravo Victor
Willoughby the Narrator
The Princelings of the North
Chronicles of Marsh
Princelings Revolution (in prep, last in series)
.
The right of Jemima Pett to be identified as the author and co-illustrator of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The names and characters in this story are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Many of the names are inspired by guinea pigs owned by members of the Rodents With Attitude online forum, to whom I am eternally grateful. These may be similar to other fictional characters but no plagiarism is intended.
Contents
Chapter 1: The Castle in the Marsh
Chapter 2: Consequences
Chapter 3: The Tunnel Network
Chapter 4: At the Inn of the Seventh Happiness
Chapter 5: Strawberry Juice
Chapter 6: The Energy Hunter
Chapter 7: A Close Shave
Chapter 8: Food for Thought
Chapter 9: Relativity
Chapter 10: Castle Vexstein
Chapter 11: Messages
Chapter 12: The Adventures of Victor
Chapter 13: A Question of Timing
Chapter 14: Return to the Inn
Chapter 15: Epilogue
Principal Characters
At Castle Marsh :
Princeling Fred: A natural philosopher by inclination, and an adventurer at heart
Princeling George: Fred’s twin brother, an engineer with lofty ideas
King Cole XIV: a king with a lot on his mind
Prince Vladimir (Uncle Vlad): Cole’s natural successor and second in command
At the Inn of the Seventh Happiness :
Victor: a harried barkeeper who doesn’t waste words except on royalty; there’s more to him than meets the eye
Gandy: his ancient assistant
Argon: an absentee landlord, not by choice, and Victor’s father
Hugo: a travelling business person selling Wozna Cola, who is definitely not what he seems
At Castle Buckmore :
Prince Lupin: a playboy at heart, but a king in truth
Lady Nimrod: the wisdom behind the throne
Baden: the castle’s steward
At Castle Hattan :
Lord Mariusz: King of his castle, and adopter of pseudonyms
Professor Saku: mad inventor, or just a genius
Raisin: one of many employees, but who takes his job more seriously than most
At Castle Vexstein :
Lord Smallweed: a nasty piece of work, second in line to the throne, who’s looking forward to absolute power
Baron (Lord) Darcy: Smallweed’s elder brother; he leaves the hard work to Smallweed
Pogo: an unspecified relation, possibly in line for the throne some day, making the most of his opportunities
This book is dedicated to
Dawn Cavalieri
Chapter 1: The Castle in the Marsh

C:\Documents and Settings\Jacky Pett\My Documents\My Pictures\Princelings\Book 1 pics for KDP\Castle in the Marsh v2 cropped.gifIn which we meet the young Princelings and a good feast is ruined
George was suspended in mid-air, his legs dangling from the ceiling of one room while his arms scrabbled furiously for a hold on the floor of the room above. He was trying very hard to do it silently, but it was a bit difficult.
He had jumped up through the trap door in the ceiling as usual, then realised his brother Fred was gazing out of the open window. So he had stopped in mid-jump, but now gravity was taking over. They were in this top-most tiny room in the turret of the castle, their ancestral home. If Fred was gazing out of the window across the miles of marsh that surrounded them, that meant he was thinking. Fred was apt to be grumpy if disturbed in the middle of a think. So George had a dilemma: to hold on tight and keep quiet, or drop back again and risk making a noise landing on the accumulated junk in the room below him.
Fred was often found gazing out of the window, any window would do, but this one was his favourite. He was also much given to thinking, and at present he was thinking about the wind in the reeds. If the wind is blowing in my face, he thought, why is it blowing the reeds in different directions around the castle? If anyone asked his occupation, Fred described himself as a Natural Philosopher. He’d found books in the library, defining the term as ‘a person who puzzles over why and how things happen in nature, trying to understand how the world works’. I need to explore the nature of the wind. If only I can persuade George to devise some way of mapping what the wind is doing as it blows across the marsh and into the castle. Yes , he thought, that is the way forward , and he sighed.
An answering sigh met his and George clambered the rest of the way into the room. He looked relieved that he had found a way to attract Fred’s attention without interrupting him mid-think.
We might be in trouble, Fred,
he said. My latest engine stopped working. The trouble is everything in the castle stopped working at the same time. Uncle Vlad is not happy.
Does he blame you?
Fred was sure it couldn’t be George’s engineering experiments causing the problem. This Energy Drain had been happening every now and then for years now, and he had thought about it a few times. There was no relationship with any of George’s experiments. Nor with Young Boris’s either, although Young Boris had been banished for causing it over three years ago. He was one of their many cousins, all grandchildren of the present King, but there were few of them left in the castle now.
I don’t think so,
George replied, but Ludo keeps telling him he ought to root out the troublemakers before the King starts blaming him for the problem.
Ludo can’t have anything to do with it. He’s always off sailing that boat of his down at Bray Water.
No, of course not. He meant the King blaming Uncle Vlad.
Uncle Vlad is the King’s right-hand man. He does all the work round here. I’m sure he wouldn’t blame Uncle Vlad,
Fred said, but he paused and thought about it all the same.
He considered the way his cousins had left the castle; one by one they had set out for the great unknown. Some, like Young Boris, were escorted off the premises by the king’s henchman, others, like Locksley, had slipped out in the middle of the night.
He and George had been outside the castle, of course; they had travelled the marsh extensively and knew all the little side tracks and alleyways well. They even knew which ones were wet at different times of day. Fred and George had worked out that while the wetness didn’t coincide with the high tides at Summernot, on the coast, they did follow a similar pattern. George had engineered an ingenious measuring and timing device for this project, with a ball that floated up in a column of the rising water, and marked the height on a circular card that revolved with the clock as it did so. George was clever at that sort of thing. Fred wanted to get him to engineer something to measure the wind direction. He wondered how he could ask him. He looked out of the window for inspiration, and George joined him leaning on the windowsill.
What do you make of the wind, brother?
Fred asked.
"Well, I was making an engine to use the wind to make some more energy for the castle, George complained.
But it’s a bit difficult to test it when I have to do it inside, with no wind, and the energy runs out any time I try to use it to make some wind."
Why don’t you do it outside?
George sighed, and didn’t reply.
Fred looked sideways at him. What’s wrong, brother?
I’m getting worried about drawing attention to ourselves. I’m sure this engine would be really useful for the castle, but with the disappearances and so on, I just think we should keep ourselves hidden from view.
Do you mean we should stay clear of all the castle gatherings as well?
"Yes, I do. I mean, most people don’t know who we are anyway and, apart from the food, the gatherings are a waste of time. I could be working on one of my projects and you could be thinking. What I don’t want is for people to interfere with my engines or take them over to make them useful for some other purpose."
Fred nodded. That had happened a couple of times when George had been making something with a ‘grand plan’ in mind, and bits had been taken by other people for makeshift solutions. Take the water-lifter that George had designed as an integral part of an irrigation system for the castle gardens. It had been commandeered and was now used at the castle entrance to move water from one side of the gate into buckets on the other. It was a complete waste of time. Then someone had wanted to put their names onto the rota to move the buckets! If they had used George’s project as he’d designed it there wouldn’t be any need to move buckets. Fred wondered whether this was how it had happened with the other princelings before them. Either they left of their own accord when they weren’t useful in the community, or they kicked up a fuss and were kicked out.
We keep ourselves pretty well hidden these days, though,
he mused, his thoughts going full circle to the problem of being seen about the castle.
It’s very comfortable living in the castle but it is getting far more difficult to keep hidden. And I can’t make my machines and test them without going outside. People see me, and they push into my little cellar and want to use it for other things,
George was in complaining mode now.
Yes,
Fred said, to stop George getting the Grumps. The longer King Cole reigns, the fewer people seem to live here. Someone asked me who I was the other day.
What did you say?
George smiled.
I looked very snooty and said, ‘Don’t you know?’ and walked off quickly,
Fred replied. Then I got behind the tapestry in the next corridor very fast and scampered up here, I think, making sure no-one was following.
Fred and George knew how to take care of themselves: they had plenty of hidey-holes, had a fair knowledge of the labyrinthine secret passages of the castle, and best of all, were extremely quick at thinking of good answers to difficult questions.
So you think we should avoid the next gathering completely?
he continued.
Yes, we should,
said George. Then he hesitated.