An Unforeseen Adventure

This story is a modern take on traditional fairy tales. A young man named Bard leaves his small village seeking an adventure which he can turn into an epic ballad and become a famous minstrel. His travels take him to an enchanted kingdom where the hero meets two very different young women. One is Princess Leanan who has been sent to the enchanted kingdom to marry its king against her will. The princess meets the hero and manipulates him into helping her to escape. The other woman is a traveling merchant named Dee. She is an adventurous good-hearted free spirit who doesn't need a hero to protect her. In fact Dee has much more worldly experience Bard. On his ensuing adventures Dee helps get the naive hero out of several precarious situations, without Dee's help Bard would fail in his quests. Together in their adventures they encounter a witch, a crafty Fae (fairy), a troll, an enchanted frog and an evil wizard.
This story was created by a reading teacher to help children improve their reading and vocabulary. The idea is to keep readers entertained while improving their reading skills. The story was designed for children from ages 8 to 12. Sprinkled throughout the story are references and humor intended as much for entertaining young readers as for the adults reading the story with the children.