Book of the Forgotten: the Bearded Queen

Chapter 1

Today was Ava Jane's twelfth birthday and her whole family had shown up for the celebration. They had sung the birthday song loudly and off-key; they had gorged themselves on cake, and Ava had torn open all the presents, all except one.

Buried beneath a mountain of shiny paper and crinkly tissue lay one more present. Ava could tell from its shape that it was a book, which meant it was probably from her Auntie Deedee. Deedee always bought her a book for her birthday. Ava didn't mind very much though. She liked books. It was just she had gotten so many other cooler presents that she wasn't very interested in unwrapping her millionth book from Deedee. But Ava knew that if she left the book buried beneath the mess, Mama would scold her later, so she smiled at Deedee and unwrapped her book, not paying any real attention to what it looked like or what it was called.

"Thank you, Deedee. I love it," Ava beamed, already reaching for her new tablet.

"Ava Jane! You didn't even look at it," Deedee reprimanded, snatching the book from the floor. "This is a very special book."

Auntie Deedee was...well, she was strange. She was the crazy aunt of the family; the black sheep; the one who dressed like a gypsy and smelt of lavender because it was soothing; the one who defied all the rules given by your parents, but never put you into danger. She was most definitely strange, but she was loveable and overflowing with love. Except, the way she showed her love was sometimes out there. Take for example, the following events. The gift was absolutely an act of love, but the lack of information about the book...well, that was just some fun for Deedee's sake.

Ava rolled her eyes. "Deedee, you think every book is special," she muttered.

Deedee smirked, proclaiming, "All books are special, but this one is especially so. Come. Come, AJ. Sit next to me and I'll show you." She patted the couch next to her, giving her niece a sweet smile, but mischief danced in her eyes. Ava couldn't figure out why, but she would know soon enough.

Ava sank onto the couch next to her aunt with her tablet still clutched tightly in her hands. "Alright, Deedee, what is so very special about this book?" She asked with a sigh, paying no attention whatsoever to the book. She had apps to download, videos to watch, games to play! She certainly didn't have time for another of Deedee's "special" books.

Deedee leaned in close to her niece and in a heavy whisper shared with her the most secret of secrets: "It's magic."

Ava blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. Her Auntie wasn't serious, was she? The book certainly didn't look magical. It was tattered and worn; the exact type of book Deedee loved to read and collect. It had probably spent the last fifty years clustered away in some forgotten corner of a dusty old bookshop nobody visited anymore. The cover had been ripped almost clear away, and its pages had faded to a musty yellow.

"Right, magic," Ava drawled, switching her attention back to her tablet, but not before a good eye roll to make sure her Auntie knew exactly how she felt about "magic books."

"Oh, you think you're too good for magic, do you? You think I'm crazy?" Deedee huffed. She fluffed her skirts up, giving them a rough shake, so her niece would know just how unhappy she was with the rejection. "Fine, I'll just keep it. I'm just sorry you couldn't appreciate what a fine gift I've given you for your birthday."

Truth be told, Ava did think her Aunt was slightly crazy: always loud and always opinionated, and there wasn't an inch of Auntie's house that didn't have a stack of books piled on it. AJ thought she must own a million of them. So yes, with the crazy aunt reputation and her obsession with books, AJ did think Auntie was crazy, but that didn't matter. If Daddy found out, she had insulted Deedee...well better to appease her now then face a scolding later.

"I'm sorry, Deedee. I do appreciate it! Here, let me see it," Ava pleaded, hand outstretched.

Deedee grinned and gently placed the book in Ava's lap. "I know it doesn't look like much, baby, but I promise you this book is worth every moment you spend in its company. Don't forget, the more wear and tear, the greater it was loved by its previous owners," she encouraged. "Give it a chance, okay? You never know. You might love it just as much as I did."

"Okay, Deedee, I'll read it," Ava promised, and she meant it. She really, really meant it. It wasn't her fault that her little brother's sticky hands found it before she could put it away, and it was not her fault that those same hands quickly became bored with it, letting it fall to the floor to lie amongst the mess, and it was certainly not her fault when Mama found the book, and thinking it a leftover treasure from one of Deedee's visits, placed it out of the way on the playroom bookshelf where it would lay forgotten for quite some time.

*This chapter is dedicated to @ea_paperbits for the fantastic cover!*