Lilly and the sea fortress

W J Macleod

Book Cover

GENRE

FOLKTALE ADVENTURE FANTASY FABLE YOUNG ADULT

    Core Theme

    ENLIGHTENMENT/EMPOWERMENT

    TIME PERIOD

    Across The Centuries

    COMPARABLE TITLES

    TUCK EVERLASTING, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA

    CHARACTER LIST

    • LILLY: 16. LEAD. CLEVER.

    • AUNTY FAY: 68, CARING, MENTOR AND AUNT TO LILLY

    • PRINCESS ILANA: STRONG, RULER OF THE SEA FORTRESS

    • KING CARRON: INTOLERANT, KING OF SKYEL

    • SORANOS: LOYAL, ILANA’S WARRIOR FRIEND

    • ISLA: SISTER OF THE SUN, HELPS LILLY FULFILL HER DESTINY

    • MADAM LUCY: HEALER FOR THE KINGDOM OF SKYEL.

    Logline

    London school girl Lilly visits her aunty in Scotland and is magically transported to a place filed with the ancient lore of the highlands and islands. How will Lilly, used to a modern life of mobile phones and apps, survive alone in a brutal land of swords and magic?

    Target Audiences

    Age: 7-12

    Target Gender: Female leaning

    Setting

    Scotland

    Based on a True Story

    No

    Publishing Details

    Status: Yes: self-published

    Year Published: 2018

    Starting Description

    Academic underachiever but engineering and computing fan Lilly is magically transported to Skyle, an ancient land where she unites with a group of women and uses her skills to help restore the wronged warrior princess as the owner of the sea fortress.

    Ending Description

    Lilly uses her phone, drones and computing skills to help take the fortress. She forgoes her only way home for the good of the group and finds her aunt had been to Skyle previously too

    Group Specific

    Information not completed

    Hard Copy Available

    No

    ISBN

    Information not completed

    Mature Audience Themes

    Information not completed

    Plot - Other Elements

    Meaningful Message, Twist

    Plot - Premise

    Quest

    Main Character Details

    Name: Lilly

    Age: 16

    Gender: Female

    Role: Antagonist

    Key Traits: Strong Moral Code, Empathetic, Aspiring

    Additional Character Details

    Name: Aunt Fay

    Age: 68

    Gender: Female

    Role: Mentor

    Key Traits: Confident, Educated

    Additional Character Details

    Name: Princess Illana

    Age: 30

    Gender: Female

    Role: Antagonist

    Key Traits: Adventurous, Aggressive, Aspiring, Badass, Confident, Strong Moral Code

    Additional Character Details

    Name: King Carron

    Age: 30

    Gender: Male

    Role: Protagonist

    Key Traits: Power-hungry, Aggressive, Greedy

    Brief

    A London school girl travels to visit her aunt in Scotland where she is transported to the ancient past and uses modern technology to fulfill her destiny.

    What We Liked

    - Lovely premise;
    - Strong female character, and empowerment of women/girls;
    - Magical elements;
    - The premise of a modern girl being magically transported to an ancient sea fortress where she can help affect change and fulfill her destiny is a fantastic concept;
    - An adaptation would have to be a sweeping reimagining of the current story with the integration of Scottish folklore and its intersection with the modern world.

    Synopsis

    Princess Ilana stands on the battlements of her sea fortress in the realm of Skyel over which she rules. A battle with invading Doren from the mainland is on the horizon. Though they are outmatched, Ilana’s warrior companion, Soranos, along with their fleet of swordsmen and archers bravely face their attackers. In modern times, Lilly, a school girl from London, is just arriving in Scotland for a visit with her beloved Aunty Fay. Having no children of her own, Fay has always felt a special connection with Lilly. Lilly, never a good student, has always been fascinated by technology and Aunty Fay wants her to attend to a jobs fair at Glasgow University. Lilly enjoys it very much and looks forward to spending some more quality time with her aunt. From the castle in the capital of Skyel, King Carron, addresses his people. He tells them that his sister, their beloved Princess Ilana has fallen in battle and that upon seeing her deceased body, his betrothed, Princess Fanary, fell dead as well. After a day of mourning of he calls for action against the immigrant horde who has betrayed the princess.

    Lilly, carrying her iPhone, raspberry pi and several drones, accompanies Aunty Fay to a large fountain in the center of a park. It is beautiful, but odd, featuring a heron, golden suns, fairies and walruses. Aunty Fay tosses a golden coin with suns on either side. As it hits the water in a burst of light, Lilly is thrust into darkness. She awakes to find herself in a sea cave, holding the coin and with no reception on her phone. When she stumbles out on to the beach, she can see the sea fortress above and she is faced with some strange creatures. At first they have the appearance of a walrus, but then they stand upright like humans. She faints and when she awakes, she believes she has heard words like prophecy and child of the sun. When arrows begin to fly towards her, she runs up to the castle and bangs on the door for help. Guards, Frayer and Striven, open the doors to her and are baffled by her strange dress and vocabulary. They tend to the wound she sustained from a flying arrow before Captain Horan asks his men for a report. Horan questions Lilly and is surprised to find all of her strange technology. When he finds the golden coin, he sends a message to the King with the single word “Fanary” on the parchment. A young woman called Isla, comes to Lilly’s aid. She claims to be a Sister of the Sun and that Lilly is the Chosen One, a sun goddess in the embodiment of a woman. It is proven by her possession of the golden coin.

    Slowly, Ilana’s betrayal is conveyed to Lilly. Carron does not approve of Ilana’s battle style or her tolerance of immigrants. In a fury over having his taxes spent to support immigrants Ilana wants to allow into the kingdom, he unleashes a volley of arrows upon her and her warriors, sending them falling over the battlements. Fanary jumps off her horse speaking magical incantations for sea protections, but she is also hit by an arrow and falls to the sea before she can complete the spell. Inconsolable at the loss of his beloved and the murder of all the warriors at the hands of Horen’s soldiers, Carron tells the people the deaths were caused by immigrants and they are all banished from the city. Lilly remembers the strange walrus like sea monsters she encountered. When she tells her, Isla confirms that the rumors are true and that Ilana and the others survived, but were turned into creatures since Fanary’s spell was not completed. Isla is overjoyed that Lilly has come to restore everything. She gets Lilly to play sick and the guards call for the powerful medicine woman, Madam Lucy. Later, Isla and her helpers Tinara, Osara and Jada, bring Madam Lucy to Lilly’s side. They trick the guards and sneak Lilly out of the castle. Upon showing everyone her coin, they are convinced more than ever that sun goddess has sent Lilly to help them as the Chosen One.

    With her drones, powered by her iPhone, Lilly is able to distract the guards. The guards think that they are being attacked by fairies. This allows, Ilana, in her animal guise, and her warrior walruses, to sneak unnoticed into the castle. Lilly remembers the stories told to her by Aunty Fay of fairies who are able to grow to immense sizes to scare off enemies. Jockel, the fairy from the stories, is actually Ilana’s ally. He appears to Ilana and grants her wish to restore her army to their former glory. In doing so, Ilana, Soranos and the others are all restored to their original forms. Princess Ilana addresses her people and relays the story of her brother’s, their King’s, deception upon them. She offers safe passage to anyone who wants to leave, but offers for the others to stay by her side. With Jockel, in his larger than life form, Ilana seems formidable. Ilana formally thanks Lilly, the Chosen One, her “magic” technology and the goddess within for their aid. She offers to send Lilly back home with her last wish to be granted by Jockel, but Lilly decides to sacrifice her return to keep the princess’ last wish intact. Jockel finally reveals to Lilly that her Aunty Fay is actually Fanary. If Lilly is able to unite the coin she possess with its twin which is around King Carron’s neck she will be able to return home.

    Meanwhile, Aunty Fay waits by the fountain for Lilly’s return. A bunch of deleted scenes and bloopers, presumably meant for a filmed version of this story, as well as a desired cast list and information about the story origin, are all tacked on to the backend.

    About The Author

    WJ MacLeod is a Scottish lifestyle ambassador, author of Lilly and the Sea Fortress, book reviewer, and tea and coffee drinker.