Land Of The Dry

The Great Australian Fairytale

A Treatment by Alex Giles

You dont have to believe in fairytales

to be in one.

Humble Beginnings... In a mash up of western and fantasy genres, Land Of The Dry is a
feature length story set in a fairytale land, following an odd assortment of accidental heroes who are forced to ban together to stop an evil that nobody else believes in. Heavy influences from contemporary cross genre epics such as Pans Labrynth, the steam-punk styled Wild Wild West and Serenity (and its prequel series Firefly) as well as inspirations from cult films of my own childhood The Princess Bride and The Labrynth, we are introduced to a world engulfed in the impossible, one that embraces the fantasy elements, but only as devices as they compliment the story; such as the stories within Tim Burtons Big Fish or Pirates Of The Caribbean. Land Of The Dry sends us into a similar plain, but with an entirely original backdrop: The Outback. It smashes elements of western and fantasy genres together, adding a Victorian and steampunk style to create a world that intrigues, inspires and engages. In preparation for this long term goal, the wheels are already in motion setting up the world surrounding Land Of The Dry, in the hopes that it may one day gather a following to aid in supporting the full feature length story. This is demonstrated through The Botanist a 16 minute short film is based loosely on one or two of the characters, set years before the feaure, and has been a successful (and where unsuccessful, educative) experiment into playing with a great many effects, style and concepts that intend on being harnessed in Land of The Dry. The Botanist can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/72485398 Password: smile

The Botanist has also been the first angle into building a multi-platform masterpiece with Land Of The Dry as the umbrella for the world the desired outcome not only being making the full feature, but having its followers invested in its development, not necessarily financially, but more importantly, creatively. The beginnings of this can be seen through the various artwork contributions on the Pintrest (pinterest.com/landofthedry/) and Deviantart (alexthegiles.deviantart.com) pages, all fans of the short film who have taken on board characters/ideas represented in the short film and made it their own. The Land of the Dry is really just the beginning, it is the world within that is the real star of the film, and it is this unique realm that invites and intrigues audiences to become involved: in whatever way engages them the most, whether by drawing pictures, reading graphic novels, writing fanfiction: in the hopes to one day follow the footsteps of Tolkien and Lucas and the exponential growth of both the universes they once dreamt up. Such evolved the script Dual Wield a short film, still experimental with some conventions, but with the depth and desire to result in a product of even higher quality and aspirations, would hopefully lead to a new avenue with enough merit and support to enter into the first epic feature.

The World Around Us... Obviously, the backdrop of nineteenth century Australia makes for an exciting landscape, and intriguing time: with cities building,

and towns swooning, they are still incredibly segregated, and surrounded mostly by the Newlands, which is thick bush landscape inhabited by creatures most believe to be completely imaginary. Our story begins in growing city of Signet one of the first landing posts of the colonialists. It is already industrial, and is built almost entirely by the convicts that were settled there in the first place, many of whom were eventually released, forming a corrupt and obscene cobblestone city. This is an exciting time: the dawn of Man. Cities and settlements continue to erect in the surrounding towns, gold is being panned, opals mined, roads are being unraveled and and all the while the stories of how the land was before are being forgotten. In the slums, crime rates are high, but poverty is higher, and in the towers, the filthy rich look on with greed over sympathy. As the story unfolds, we grow to discover the curious town of Baxter. Seated up-river from the main town, Baxter is generally a one-road (or rail in this case) town. One way in, one way out. But there is certainly a great deal more to Baxter than the quaint mining village it first appears. It is filled with incredibly unique characters, many of whom are left over from the fairytale war that once rattled at its doors, and though the townsfolk would deny it for fear of being accused mad, they all know that the stories read to children are equally not all they seem. The tavern is at the centre of town, being the hub of the community, and spiraling out we see numerous shops all odd in their own way, a wig-makers, a garden nursery for conscious potplants, a lotions and potions store, a pet store of never before seen creatures, and a tree who hums when the moon is full. Further out, we see free-standing torches surrounding the village, always lit, always burning, and out further still, we can make out The Dry. Creatures that were once men, but over time and darkness have hideously malformed, skin turned to bark, and pain ingrained on their disfigured faces, they are statues frozen by some force many years ago. Turned to stone, crumbling. Once they may have threatened the existence of our world, but now they line the forest, watching but never blinking: statues of a past long forgotten. As we discover later in our story, out further still is the newlands: a mountainous rainforest often filled with unfamiliar creatures and hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered. More importantly, a tree whose branches glow when they point in the right direction, and a window ingrained in a rock which is said to have the power to change the past, but only when aligned with all the correct ingrediants.

The World Within...

Celebrating the concepts of fairytales is ingrained within the story of Land Of The Dry. Though mostly accomplished through one of the characters: Lily, and her love of storybooks, the overarching idea that the entire plot results in one great fairytale is essential, and such is the development of layers of stories within. There are a small number of fairytales that are exposed within the feature: vignets of approximately 3-5 minutes each undertaking a completely unique style dependent on the character that tells them. These stories all follow a simple three-beat structure, feature simple and archetypal characters, and have associated morals/lessons that come with the likes of Aesops fables, or unmodified stories from the Brothers Grim. They feature a raw and direct plot, reminiscent of the age in which they had been told, rather than the romanticized and censored versions of classic tales that are told today. The integration of these short-stories results in Land Of The Dry developing a style of its own. Collaborations with other directors and animation teams to bring the stories to life not only provide a compelling storytelling method through the eyes of the narrating characters, but is a brilliant guide to the foundation of the feature: the significance of fairyales. In the present treatment, the three stories that are featured as their own vignets are:

The Tale of the Three Princes

- told by a nun to her orphan pupils

The Tree Who was once a Man

- told by a tree to his lonely occupants - told by a Witch to a group of would-be heroes

The Window in the Rock

ACT I
In the beginning, we arrive in a number of places. We follow characters whose lives are soon to be interwoven... Timothy Swindle The Magician: One of our stories begins as Timothy finds himself lost and broke in the strange, relatively new city of Signet, wanting nothing more than to get himself home to the motherland. Feeling wrongly committed, he is a street-magician of about twenty years old, recently given his freedom after a sentence for stealing raisins on the streets of his home country far across the oceans. He seems to be unsuccessfully raising money by busking with his magic tricks, and the local shipmen all but laugh at his feeable attempts to request that he be allowed on board their vessels back to the motherland. They are all on strict instructions and no amount of money would ever see his permission on board without a beheading. They jest: unless, of course, he were to find the rumoured gemstone as large as his head. All seems a little hopeless for Timothy, especially as his cheap magic is quickly wearing thin on the townsfolk: now all wise to his changeswindling maneuvers. Prince Abacus The brother of the king: still bitter at his unfortunate luck continues his efforts to change the past. His brother has banished him to the outskirts of the motherland, far to the North, but his vendetta only grows. He speaks of his search for the Seer and we peek into his collection: a branch with a glowing end, and a giant, blue gemstone, the size of someones head. Abacus is certainly past his prime. Too old to fight or to stand up to the king, possibly one of the reasons he has been given some small power over the country, he has years of built up anger, built up resentment, and it has left him a bitter person, and with a scowling face, a permanent frown built below his noble brow. James Archibald The last sorcerer: Archibald is impossibly old; 90? 100? He speaks with an incomparable wisdom unlike any heard before. Though once a powerful wizard, Abacus has abandoned hope on his aged goal of winning a war that was lost long ago. Now he is dragged through the snow by the forces of a royal, undoubtedly to meet his fate. Archibald, though in control of every moment that unfolds, has been driven so far from his once passionate and fighting spirit, now willingly goes with the humans who seem somewhat aware that he is sparing their lives only because he cannot be bothered destroying them. Lily Reus The Storyteller: The daughter of a once celebrated Botanist, resides in the small and curious town of Baxter. Falling far from the tree, Lily has very little interest in her fathers plant and plantlife-experiments, much more interested in the stories in her books about the fairytale war. Any potential friends make fun of her, and the rest of the village seems to think very little of her stories, barre the morales seemingly driven into each one, but she remains convinced that these stories hold a value of truth, and will not be swung otherwise. Needless to say, her best friend is not a human at all, but an intelligent potplant the cactus: Spike. They spend their days reading the stories, and taking the Botanists latest crazy flowering plants down the river and into the city of Signet to sell at the markets, continuing the income for their very small, but very green, family. Abby Rose The small, orphan girl Abby runs through the marketplace in the city of Signet. She makes it across and up a tree just in time to overhear a nun reading to a group of children The Tale of the Three Princes. She is quaint, dirty, but driven. She means business, and while is strong and wise for her age, she is still a child, and its things like storytelling that catch her out, revealing that she is still a child, and one in need of attention and nourishment. After the nun catches her spying from a distance, she is instantly recognized: Abby has been running from the orphanage for some time, just clever enough to keep herself out of the clasp of the convent.

Turning Points...
James Archibald & Prince Abacus Suffering in the dungeon, Archibald breathes through his pain, and for the first time in weeks, has the light of day shined upon him. His captor, the prince (brother to the king), Abacus stands before him, speaking of a forgotten prophecy and a way to change the past. Archibald denies its possibility; insisting that to succeed one would need to locate a lost tree amongst a forest, a stone that was lost at sea, and a seer whose kind are now completely extinct. Abacus disagrees at his suggestions, revealing in his possession, a stick from the tree, the gemstone of which he speaks, and a mysterious vial of blood, asking that Abacus agree to assist him in his mission to change the past: as their goals just so happen to align for a brighter future for both of them. Archibald would have his army win the war, and if the humans had not joined his opposing forces, he would have seen a victory. Abacus would have himself be crowned King, and should this occur, his strong opinions against the colonization of the new world would have meant that the humans would have never joined the war efforts, and the existence of the other sorcerors, and much of the magical creatures that were wiped out thanks to the war would still be in existence. This is a surprisingly mutual objective. Timothy Swindle An ordinary trick isnt going so well as Timothy notices the Order Of Abacus passing through: And surprisingly enough, manages to use his quick skills to steal the large gemstone in their possession. This results in a rather large chase around through a dusty and bustling marketplace. In admist saving his own hide, Timothy comes across a small girl, and her blind companion. This is Abby, who has been running from some nuns, and a shopkeeper after stealing an apple. He stops for just a moment to help her, and as she drops the apple off the rooftopbut rather than fall to the ground, her mere will seems to keep it mid-air, slowly spinning. Thinking nothing more of it, Timothy is nearly caught, and still without time to observe his bounty, continues off into the town. Abby Rose Continuing her rush through the town, Abby finds time to steal an apple and is now on the run from the nuns and the apple stall owner. In her rush, she bumps suddenly into a small boy: Lyon. He is blind, and when he talks, he doesnt make sense: His words are jumbled, and not to be mistaken with a child with a disability, Lyon speaks clearly, and even intelligently: but any words he speaks seem to have no relevance. Curious and sympathetic, Abby takes him on as her honorary little brother, and they continue through the marketplace together, he almost giving away their position, speaking out of turn and not in a whisper. Finally, in a near-miss, Abby drops her apple and it rolls off the edge of the balcony: but with her will, she manages to keep it afloat mid-air. A stranger notices, but instead of calling her a witch, directs her enemies the other way. Thankful but wary, she pulls Lyon back into the tunnels below the marketplace, and back to share a sleep in the branches of her favourite tree. Lily Reus Working her stall in the marketplace for her father, The Botanist, Lily and Spike have their reading time interrupted by a stranger and his large glowing gemstone. Assuming that this dark, mysterious man who seems to conduct magic is none-other than the Last Sorceror, Lily helps Timothy escape, and they head upriver in her small rowboat, abandoning her market stall, but with the possibility of a real-life adventure, just like those spoken of in her books. Timothy, glad to be given the opportunity of escape is happy to act as her fairytale character, and clutches his gemstome tight.

ACT II
Lily Reus Lily leads Timothy into her home town of Baxter. Though he puts on a brave face, the journey grows in curiosity: and eventually they begin to pass a horrific site: statues of what appear to be men, though their bodies mutated to almost resemble barren trees, all with painful expressions. Lily explains that these are The Dry, and tells that they were once evil men who faught in the fairytale war. That they were stopped by the thirteen heroes, and the continent was saved, all in accordance with her favourite story of all, which she begins to recount: The Army of the Sun. Of course, Timothy refuses to believe in such nonsense. They then pass a row of flame-lit torches. Lily explains this to be the work of The Warden. A gangly, strange man who spends his days keeping the torches burning. The flames keep burning, and this keeps The Dry at bay. Once arrived and settled in the village, they go to the Witch to get an idea of what the gem might be worth. She is unhelpful and takes very little interest, until James Archibald barges in. He holds a glowing branch, which Lily recognizes as something her father, the Botanist once held. The witch and James clearly have some hatred of one another, and a fight results in some of the blood from James vial spilling on Lilys dress. As the fight escalates: somewhere between once powerful magicians, and an elderly couples feud, Lily and Timothy take this as a moment to get out, but it is in the escape Timothy reveals that he is not a sorcerer at all, but really a cheap street magician, not to mention no belief in her childish stories. Lily is deeply upset and offended, and they agree to part ways in the morning. Resting at a nearby stream, Lilys dress is caught in the water, and the blood stain on its bottom runs into the running water: and before them grows an image: its a point of view: someone is watching a small girl. Timothy recognizes this instantly, this is the girl from the marketplace. But, as usual, he denies its significance, and Lily is left staring at the image as she falls asleep, next to him. The following morning at dawn, Lily gets a move on, back into Baxter. Leaving Timothy behind. But before she gets too far, she is caught by James having dealt with the witch, she has broken his once-glowing stick, and he knows Lilys father will be able to lead him to a new one. James Archibald Having tracked his precious stone to the small town of Baxter, James runs into an old enemy: the Witch of the Woods, Arim. She knows full well he is out to change to past, and has noticed the winds of time beginning to blow, but fails to stop him, merely breaking his tree branch. Though this is one of the three items he desperately needs in place to recreate history, he noticed that the girl, Lily recognized his now broken wand, and tracks her down to find out why. Locking Lily in a cage in Baxter, and using her as bait, he forces her father, The Botanist, to take he and his men to The Forever Tree, and plucks from it a single twig, which glows when pointed in the right direction. Victorious, he burns down the forever tree, and leaves her father behind to rot. As he returns to the village, his men just leave the girl locked up, and go to meet with Abacus. Prince Abacus Having been warned of the events unfolded: he losing his precious gem, and then Archibald having the wand destroyed, Abacus is in a foul mood. He holds his vial of blood tight: He still holds one of the three key items. They simply pour the vial into the water and the images that evolve out of the cloud give them clues as to where they need to travel next. Abacus entrusts his most devoted assassin, Archer, with the task of retrieving the gemstone from the thief, while he follows the trail left by the blood. Timothy Swindle After the fight with Lily, Timothy is left alone with his stone, and heads back to the city of Signet, and he feels that the only sensible thing to do would of course be to drink his problems away. After some run-ins with the locals, muttering to himself about the falseness of such a fairytale-war, and the silly girl obsessed with fairytales, he ends up urinating behind a tree. Who curiously, speaks to him. Giving himself away in the middle of the night, Archer takes back the stone with little competition from the intoxicated Timothy, who then wakes strapped in an old gallows. Timothy manages to enlist the help of an orphan girl and her brother, and she takes him to where she lives, a tree on the other side of town. This is of course, Tluse, the very same tree on whom he had urinated on the night before, but with an apology and some truth, he is forgiven, and ends up sleeping in Tluses branches, along with the orphan children as Tluse tells his own story: The Tree who used to be a man But everyone is asleep before he can reveal the endingthat he was once a human, turned into a tree by a witch of the woods. Archer Returning with the Gem, Archer finds his Prince, Abacus to be close to finding the source of the blood, and James arrives with the stone. The weight of what lies ahead is finally revealed to its full extend: The wand only glows when pointed in the right direction: leading towards the Window in the Rock. Once arriving, the window can only be activated by a seer, who they are about to find, and then the seers will on what time period is visited can be controlled by the Willing Stone: the same gem that has been the source of so much chaos. These are the three keystones to changing history. A stick, a rock, and a mind. Heading into the past, Abacus will re-write history, affirming himself as king, ensuring that the human forces sent to aid the Fairytale war are disengaged, allowing James Archibald and his forces of the Sun to rule the new continent. Then, the final stage of the operation is completed as the Order of Abacus arrive at the trunk of Tluse, and take the seer: the young boy, Lyon, in the middle of the night.

Lyon is not an ordinary boy, as has already been made clear, he is certainly much more than he seems. He is, in fact, the Seer that they have been looking for. Supposedly extinct, his kind have the unique ability to see through time; some into the past, others into the future. But even for his kind, Lyon is rare; he seems to see into both simultaneously, leaving little room for the present. This explains his lack of awareness for his surroundings, and inexplicit ramblings. Abby Devastated as her feaux brother is stolen from her arms, Abby follows the Order as far as she can, which leads her and Timothy to discover poor Lily, still locked in a cage. Between Abby and Lily, Timothy is persuaded to aid them in rescuing the boy, with of course a promise of wealth: being given the prize of Lilys fathers prize possession: a potplant that grows golden flowers. Using what Lily can remember as a basis, they head in the search for the Forever Tree, through the Newlands, first of all, crossing the flame-torch fence, and then past the Land Of The Dry. Skipping off into the distance is The Warden, and Timothy begins to question further the reality of the events they are going through. Following only a hunch from an old story that Lily remembers, they follow the moon as it crosses the sky, but bump into a small but troublesome Sprite, who seems trustworthy, but actually guides them down an incorrect path in order to keep their company. In the evening once the Sprite has gone to sleep, our heroes escape, and follow what is left of the moon, before they begin to see the sun rising. Eventually, they reach the tree, but things are not as they were remembered. It seems James Archibald has anticipated this happening, and burnt the tree to the ground. The Botanist, barely alive, is released from his chains,

and they head back towards Baxter, defeated, but not before Timothy has a chance to collect some of the ashit has to be worth something. The Botanist On the way back into the town, things have changed significantly. The flame-torches are not lit for the first time since he can remember, and the winds have grown much stronger. Before the six heroes can get far into the town, it is made very clear that there is a bounty on all of their heads, and before you know it, The Botanist and Lily are both thrown straight into a prison cell on the far end of town. Within the prison, they begin chatting to an elder, who claims to be a hero from the fairytale war. Though shadowed in the darkness of his adjacent cell, the small amount of light reveals the elder to be less human and more avian. Perhaps he was once a Yowie, a humanoid creature taken on the likeness of its surroundings, in this case, an owl. He begins to recount all of which Lily had always hoped was true; the army of the sun, the forever tree, the window in the rock, but more importantly, he begins to depict the rough change in the weather for a change in the winds of time. It seems, he explains, history can be re-written, and the war can still be lost. There was a betrayal in the Thirteen Heroes, who defeated the army of the sun, and the one that betrayed them still walks the world, hoping to find a way to alter the past, and change history. The winds hadnt blown like this since the window was created, and the king destroyed, so perhaps the betrayer was making his play. Lily makes the suggestion that they would need to find the thirteen heroes in order to stop him, or the twelve that are left, but the Elder disagrees: the heroes, or what is left of them are so scattered and torn, reuniting is impossible.

Spike Now left with Abby after a kerfuffle and attack of the townsfolk, Spike and Abby are hopelessly lost, wandering through an unfamiliar town, and locals riled up by the Order who recently passed through. Abby and Spike, while trying to hide are stumbled upon, not by the order, but by a couple of unfriendly locals, who drag them away in a sack in the hopes of reward money: All their pictures have been hung around the town by the Order. The men, Raddus and Gilby decide to have a drink on the way back to the prison, dragging the girl and her cactus with them. Using his cactus prongs to escape, Spike creates a hole small enough for himself, with the intention of returning with help. Passing by a nearby small corridor is Timothy, and Spike manages to find his way into Timothys pack, without Timothy noticing. Timothy Swindle Escaping out of the town, but leaving his companions behind, Timothy takes his small bag of ash, and his golden flower and heads towards the docks of Signet, carefully passing by the Baxter townsfolk, using his magicians tricks to evade their sight. On his way out, he is spotted by one of Abacus men; Archer, who splits from the Order. This man was spotted with the boy; Lyon and could be trouble. He is forced to steal Lilys boat, heading back down the river towards Signet. As he travels, the winds of time blow past him, and the creatures known as The Dry have begun to stir. He tries to turn a blind eye, but behind him they grow more restless. Timothy arrives and pays his way with a golden flower onto a boat home to the motherland.

10

ACT III
Archer Timothy looks over the ocean, uncertain of his actions, but on his way home. Hauling anchor, he has convinced himself that this is right thing, but is brought back into reality when attacked by Archer. A quick fight finds both men equally agile, and the folk aboard the ship are far from helpful; most encouraging, and some even getting involved. Finally, Archer is stopped by none other than Spike: who reveals his hiding place in the bag of Timothy. Archer is dumped in the ocean, along with the blood stain on his cloak: The image revealed in the water grows: Lyon is being taken across the desert, the dark men surrounding him are following the glowing stick that he had overheard stories of earlier, and the stone he once held in his own hand. The wind blows a sudden gust and Timothys hat goes flying. The men from within the boat see the vision in the water and take it as a bad omen, diving into the surrounding sea: abandon ship! Timothy Swindle Fueled with new emotions, Timothy grabs Spike and heads into town, he looks closely at his bag of ash and heads straight for Tluse. Once there, he climbs the branches, and covers one of his branches with the ash. Immediately, the tip begins to glow, surprising both Timothy and Tluse. Then, intent on curing Tluse, Timothy decides to break the spell: By closing his eyes very tight, and giving him a kiss. Though both are disgusted, slowly, Tluse becomes somewhat human again: and ends up being a particularly ugly treeperson. But humourously, is still extremely ecstatic at being somewhat human again. Together, they begin to follow the tip of Tluses finger which points straight towards Baxter. This time, they jump on board the train, and the folks on board arent very welcoming to the magician, his cactus and his tree, and while most jump off, they force the driver to steam on towards Baxter, despite the rumours of the town being overrun with creatures. On the rails, Archer makes a reappearance: and an on-board train duel occurs. While Archer and Timothy duel, Spike and Tluse keep the driver fuelling the engine. Eventually, Timothy overcomes Archer, and he is tossed out into the desert. As he is left behind, some of the Dry head towards Archers rolling body. He is most certainly done for. As they get closer to Baxter, more creatures line the tracks, and when pulling into the station, the town itself is almost entirely abandoned: The Dry wander through, and our heroes move quietly to avoid disturbing the horrific creatures. They head straight for the one place that still has its lights on: the pub. Abby Bailed up against the walls with flames are the townsfolk, and at their helm is none other than the small girl, Abby. It seems she has worked out that the only thing they seem to fear is fire. She has designated an area to each of her men, and when she sees Timothy who has betrayed her, she doesnt want to let him into her fortress, until he reveals he has brought Spike along. Then Abby opens the door. Timothy explains that they will go together to rescue Lyon, right after grabbing the others, Abby explains she saw them being carried away into the prison. Making their way through the town, armed with torches of fire, our heroes arrive at the prison and break free the Botanist, Lily, and the Elder from the cell next to them. Timothy explains that although in the past, it has been the heroes who have stopped the evil conflict, this is a new age of heroes, where you define your own heroic qualities; he is the hero of illusion, the Botanist the hero of plants, Lily the hero of fire, Lily the hero of story. Once she eventually agrees, Lily decides that if she is truly the hero of story, then their own story she was going to have to start writing an ending to. Declaring no way to be able to catch up on foot, Lily demands that they visit the witch of the woods so that she may help them.

11

Lily With the obvious influences of the Dry, there is now no questioning Lilys knowledge of fairytales, and all trust her to lead them into the woods, following a trail of mushrooms, and far away from the groaning creatures of the town. And so into the woods they go, marching along paths that dont seem to have been crossed for a generation, until they come across a door. Though nothing is behind it, when it is opened, the house behind it can be crossed into. The Witch reluctantly invites them in: and her den is nothing short of magnificent. Rotating cogs and gears all work in an awkward movement together to make for a room which is constantly in motion. To the extent which the door they walked through has already been picked up and placed somewhere entirely different, the windows in the background are picked up and placed with completely alternative scenes on the other side. She recognizes the Elder, Owl, but is far more interested in Abby than actually helping any of them. Abby, paying little attention is more fascinated by the small ocarina inside an old, rusty chest, which seems to be calling out for her. Once opened, she picks it up. While Lily almost stops her, she begins to play, and the Witch is brought to tears by the tune. Brought on by the music, the doors and windows seem to change direction, and all align to the same place. Abby is confused, but this all seems very natural to her. The witch explains: Abby is no mere mortal. In fact, she is born from two of the thirteen heroes: Her mother, the sea witch, and her father a sand sailor. She goes on to explain: The tale of the Sea-Witch and the Sand-Sailor and suggests that once the war was over and the sand sailors were all killed, one left his ship to her, should his daughter ever re-appear. Immediately, Abbys intuition leads her through a door and into an old, dusty shed. She pulls the giant sheets off a giant, hardwood sailing ship, but with a large modification:

wheels. This is the vessel of a Sand-Sailor, and while thought to be extinct, the ability to control it still runs strong in her blood. Tluse So on board they hop, Tluse holds his arm out straight, and Abby steers them to follow the guiding light at the edge of his finger. As they go deeper into the night, more creatures from the Dry attempt to attack them, but the sailing ship struggles onwards, with the determined Abby at the help, and Tluse guiding, they are headed straight for the Window in the Rock. James Archibald Everything has fallen into place. Finally able to avenge his former king, James and the Order arrive at the window and begin to setup his greatest conjuring of all: His wand no longer needed, he forces the boy, Lyon, before the window. Being a Seer, the window automatically opens up to him, and through his unwilling eyes, moving images are projected into it: these are time periods from within Lyons mind. Of course, Lyon will not participate, attempting to only reveal images from unhelpful times, so James withdraws the gemstone from his possession: The Willing Stone, to ensure that the child focuses on one image in particular: the night before the crowing of the king. The bedroom of Prince Alfred. This whole time, it has been Abacus who was the second brother of the King, from the story told at the beginning by the nun, and his throne was ripped from his rightful place by his brother. Though he is incredibly unwilling, Lyon is forced to focus his rapidly switching memories across to the particular time, and James watches on as Abacus enters the window.

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The New Heroes Arriving as Abacus steps through the window, Abbys boat finally begins to fall to pieces and they abandoned ship into the sand dunes just in time. James Archibald and his men immediately rush to arms, but are countered at each turn, by a surprise cactus wound here, or a whallop from the arm/branches of Tluse there Abacus manages to steady Lyons mind, while keeping off his two old enemies: the Witch & the Elder. Meanwhile, the ever sneaky Timothy Swindle manages to escape into the window, following Abacus, attempting to stop whatever is about to happen. Abacus Stepping through the window, an incredibly dangerous act indeed: if the boy projecting the images were to stop, or be raced away, both his insides and outsides would be immediately encased in stone. This drove his patience to extreme levels. But here he is, the world around him builds and the smokey haze of Lyons mind begins to become more and more clear, a staircase forms from surrounding mist, and reveals his fathers castle Eventually he makes it to the stop of the stairs, followed by Timothy. They enter a babys room: in the Tale of the Three Princes, the king decided on his third son being the next heir, because he brought the family the greatest gift: a newborn. Killing the baby will surely see events as they should have been. As he is about to stab the baby, both Abacus and Timothy are instantly transported to another time, another place: A sandy desert. Lyon has regained control in the outside world. The men struggle. Lyon On the outside of the window, James Archibald is forced back by the forces of good, and eventually can only go one place: inside the window as well, but not before grabbing back the Willing Stone that had been knocked from his hand. Now, the outsiders can only hope that Timothy can get out, and then Lyon can close the window. They watch on, barely able to see through the thick, moving glass-like liquid. Lily is held back by her father: it is too dangerous to follow them in. The Window In The Rock Inside the window, James Archibald holds his Willing Stone tight, and while the world switches rapidly around them: a marketplace, a train-station, a campfire, a henhouse, Archibald looks back to the boy, and uses the stones magic to make them appear in an old building, where a group of people stand around a table. Quickly, he jumps into the middle of it and grabs a piece of paper that is being kept between them: a map. Then, all in a beat, he waves a small wand from his pocket, and creates a second windowjumping through and away. Abacus is at a loss. He has been betrayed, and now there is no stone to keep Lyons thoughts localized. Not missing a beat: Lyon takes them to a place Timothy remembers very well: a circus. And as the layout changes around them, Abacus is left inside the cage of a lion. He is caught, and restrained back into the present.

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A Fairytale Ending...
Back in what remains of Baxter, the winds of time have ceased, but the stone-dry creatures of The Dry remain as relics throughout the town. They are being collected up, and taken somewhere far away. Our heroes are happily settled into a routine, Timothy and Lily share a sweet, sideways smile, running her fathers potplant and herb stand. Timothy has been helping Abby rebuilt her boat, and she adorns a Captains hat that is far too big for her. Tluse attempts to woo some townsfolk, and while he is obviously unsuccessful, the girls play along. Abacus is in a prison cart on the train back to Signet. His only company is a pen and paper, and he has started to draw a rather pathetic, but heartfelt storybook. Custody of Lyon has been given to the Sprite that had tried to befriend our heroes earlier, so that they may company for one another forever, on the condition that the Sprite never return him to civilization. They row off in a boat together, now Lyon has a very obvious bandage around his head: anyone trying to track him now will not be able to see through his blood. The Witch arrives at the potplant stall with a cauldron full of muck she has been preparing for clearly a long time, and discusses that Abby is much more than just the daughter of a Sand-Sailor. She is also the daughter of a Sea-Witch, and moreso, the Sea-Witch is still alive. With a drop of blood into her cauldron, they can see where Abbys mother is being held. We peer into the murky puddle, and while a faint image can be made out, the story is drowned out by the music and the whirlpool.

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