A magic boy. A jealous king.
A dangerous discovery.
Experience the First Episode Free
The Treacherous Secret: Episode 1 (Fairendale)
King Willis is a dreadful king who carries a dark secret that he has passed along to his son, the prince.
A secret that could mean the loss of his precious throne.
When a prophetess shows up at the castle with the news that there is another boy, born in the village, who carries the gift of magic—the single most important requirement for ruling the kingdom of Fairendale—the prince must decide between saving his best friend or saving an entire village.
★★★★★ A story with something everyone will enjoy. By S. Drake The character development in these chapters is beautiful. I love Rachel’s ‘voice’ as she tells this story. The build up of the story and all that is going on, as well as the mysteries that are woven throughout make this story a page turner that I can’t wait to read to my kids. I can’t recommend it enough.
★★★★★ A great magical story for children and adults! By L. McCabe The Secret, the first installment of the Fairendale series, is the alluring beginning to a truly magical story. R.L. Toalson has woven together a rich history and beautiful character development along with the love, mystery, and magic of the world she’s created. From wicked kings and the embodiment of death to sacrificial parents and virtuous children, every character makes you feel something and every chapter will leave you wanting more.
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The Pursuit: Episode 2 (Fairendale)
A singular obsession. A safe hiding place. A never-ending search.
The king’s guard has been searching all the lands of the realm for the missing Fairendale children. But, alas, Captain Sir Greyson has returned, after many days, to report to King Willis that no children have been found. The king, quite angry at this disappointing news, orders another search, this one closer to home—right inside the dangerous Weeping Woods.
While the captain rallies all the king’s men and Prince Virgil wrestles with a great longing to see his friends again, the people of the village rise from their beds, summoned to life by miraculous taps on their doors. And somewhere in the forest, another story begins to move—will it mean safety or more danger for the missing children?
The Crossing: Episode 3 (Fairendale)
An underground trap. A magic gift, waning. Death, waiting in the wings.
Arthur, Maude and twenty-four children are trapped beneath the earth when the portal to their underground home is destroyed by one of the king’s men. Now they face certain death, though death is what they hoped to avoid in hiding where no eye could see them. There is no way out, for the children’s magic has steadily faded, because they are hungry and thirsty and most of all tired. Yes, most of all tired.
But one of the girls has a plan. And while she hatches her plan, the people of Fairendale make plans of their own, even as the king’s own son, who misses the missing children, vows to save the friends he lost, the friends for whom the king searches, the friends who could very well, even now, be lost forever. But his plan may cost him his life. Is a prince willing to sacrifice his life? Perhaps. Or perhaps this is another’s decision entirely.
The Dragons: Episode 4 (Fairendale)
A dangerous crossing. An arid wasteland. A smattering of footprints.
The children of Fairendale, still fleeing for their lives, cross the border between the Weeping Woods and the dragon lands of Morad—a boundary line that has not been crossed since the people of Fairendale and the dragons of Morad agreed to keep to their own lands or suffer the consequences of death. And now the people, in the form of Arthur, Maude and the children, have violated the agreement.
When the king’s men discover footprints that can only be seen by the light of the moon—which means they have remained inside the Weeping Woods for far too long—and that lead directly to the lands of Morad, the soldiers are faced with a decision: continue pursuit at the risk of angering an army of dragons, thereby risking the lives of every person in the realm, or give up the pursuit and face the ire of their king? Which would you do, reader?
The Aftermath: Episode 5 (Fairendale)
An army of dragons. A vital remembering. An unexpected attack.
The Weeping Woods has been all but destroyed by the fire of dragons. But still Maude and the children, who miraculously escaped from the dragon army that blocked them from the king’s men, agree to venture inside and attempt yet another hiding place, this one without their beloved Arthur, who disappeared in the battle with the dragons. It has become quite hopeless, this hiding, but still they try. It is what the people of Fairendale do.
Meanwhile, Prince Virgil’s heart becomes a battleground for light and dark, the dragons of Morad consider what it might mean to seek vengeance for an agreement that was violated, and the people of Fairendale, those who remain, are spurred by the burning of the woods to make a drastic move of their own—will they fight cruelty with cruelty, or will they exercise mercy on the very one who stole their children from their homes?
The Separation: Episode 6 (Fairendale)
A futile journey. A harrowing decision. A desperate plea.
The kingdom of Fairendale is in disarray. The prince has been stolen from the castle. The king’s army was destroyed by the dragons of Morad. The children remain missing. But a Huntsman shows up at precisely the right time and offers his services to King Willis, turning the king’s attention from his missing son back to his overwhelming desire to find the other missing children, though what would be the point of securing a throne without an heir? King Willis is not a man who bothers with important details such as these.
When the Huntsman begins his hunt, Maude and the children wonder whether the invisible house set up for them by the mysterious Enchantress is enough to hide them from the eyes of a man trained in finding what he pursues. And now, deep within the bowels of the castle, a prophetess considers the future before her and the decision that every prophet must make on a 143rd birthday: will she die to change the dark future, or will she let it remain as it has been written?
Finding Unexpected Inspiration
The idea to write something as complicated and ambitious as Fairendale came to me one summer day when I was sitting at the pool, watching my infant and trying to stay off my broken foot. My other boys were splashing around in the pool, racing over to me every now and then to ask if I’d seen them dunk their heads under water. And when one of them left to jump back in the pool where my husband was waiting, this thought came into my head: “What if the sea witch wasn’t as bad as we think?” I have no idea where it came from, but it was an alluring thought, because I’ve always believed that people are only doing the best they can with what they have—which means the villains in all the stories we know so well usually have a reason for what they do.
Imagining the World of Fairendale
I honestly didn’t know if I could do it. I had only ever written literary fiction, nothing as purely imaginative as fantasy and fairy tale retellings required of me. What I did know is that I love fairy tales and all fairy tale characters, even the villains, and when they came knocking, asking me to tell their stories and prove they weren’t as bad as they seemed on the surface, I knew I had to try.
Who is Fairendale Written For?
I absolutely love contributing literature to the world of kids, because I think if they find the right stories and are drawn into something that excites their minds and their imaginations and their taste for words, it develops a lifelong love of reading. We can build lifelong learners out of kids who love to read. So Fairendale is written for upper middle grade kids, between 10 and 12 years old. But anyone who has a love of fairy tales will enjoy this series, because it is a series full of adventure and fun and danger and conflict and mystery and mostly heart. And maybe it has the potential to change our minds about the people we see as villains in our own worlds.
When Will Fairendale Be Available?
Fairendale is available now! As of June 2021, 18 books have been published in the Fairendale series. The remaining two episodes will release soon.
Experience the First Episode Free
The Treacherous Secret: Episode 1 (Fairendale)
A magic boy. A jealous king.A dangerous discovery.
King Willis is a dreadful king who carries a dark secret that he has passed along to his son, the prince.
A secret that could mean the loss of his precious throne.
When a prophetess shows up at the castle with the news that there is another boy, born in the village, who carries the gift of magic—the single most important requirement for ruling the kingdom of Fairendale—the prince must decide between saving his best friend or saving an entire village.
★★★★★ A story with something everyone will enjoy. By S. Drake The character development in these chapters is beautiful. I love Rachel’s ‘voice’ as she tells this story. The build up of the story and all that is going on, as well as the mysteries that are woven throughout make this story a page turner that I can’t wait to read to my kids. I can’t recommend it enough.
★★★★★ A great magical story for children and adults! By L. McCabe The Secret, the first installment of the Fairendale series, is the alluring beginning to a truly magical story. R.L. Toalson has woven together a rich history and beautiful character development along with the love, mystery, and magic of the world she’s created. From wicked kings and the embodiment of death to sacrificial parents and virtuous children, every character makes you feel something and every chapter will leave you wanting more.
Click your preferred version below for your free copy
Get All the Books In This Series
Get the Free Prequel
Fairendale was not always a land of missing children and danger. Read all about the good King Brendon and how the people of Fairendale fought to keep the kingdom in benevolent hands.