The Treacherous Secret (Fairendale)

A magical boy. A jealous king. A dangerous discovery.
King Willis is a dreadful king-cruel, ostentatious, and (dare we say it?) large. The kingdom of Fairendale is the most beautiful of all the lands, and he is the one who rules it. How very fortunate.
But the king carries a dark secret that he has passed along to his son, Prince Virgil-a secret that could mean the loss of Fairendale's throne. And 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-Prince Virgil must now decide between saving his best friend or saving an entire village.
The Secret is the first episode in Season 1 of Fairendale, a magical middle grade series that explores the world of fairy tales, dragons, wizards, and other magical creatures. The world of Fairendale revolves around villains and heroes-all on a quest for what they believe is right. But one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero. Throughout the series, the story of King Willis and his determination to keep the throne is woven into the story of his son, Prince Virgil, heir to the throne and friend to the village children, and the story of fairy tale children fleeing for their lives-children who become what we know as fairy tale villains, for one good reason or another.
But, remember, one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero.

The themes of identity and love amid difficult circumstances often show up in Rachel Toalson's writing, and no matter their age, gender or genre preferences, readers around the world enjoy and anticipate her hopeful message of bravery, transparency and the the human capacity to change the world, at least a small part of it.
She is the author of the middle grade fantasy series, Fairendale, (under the pen name R.L. Toalson) about a tyrant king (who may not be quite as bad as he seems) pursuing a group of magical children who become what we know as fairy tale villains, for one good reason or another; the nonfiction Family on Purpose series, which chronicles her family's daily journey into values; and This is How You Know, a book of poetry on the daily ordinary that becomes extraordinary when filtered through the lens of poetry.
Rachel Toalson's own journey into writing is a long and straight-line one. She began penning stories in small-town Texas on white computer paper back when she was a kid. When she got to college, she rose through the ranks of her college newspaper, this time telling true stories. That's where her writing career began-sitting with sources, gathering information, soaking up the stories of everyday life.
In 2015, Rachel ended her newspaper days as a managing editor, with multiple writing accolades accrued over the years, so that she could become a full-time author of both fiction and nonfiction. In her fiction she enjoys crafting tales of quirky characters who are more than what they seem on first glance. In her nonfiction, she enjoys writing about real life, real love, real struggles and the humor underlining much of our human experience. She writes middle grade fiction and picture books under the pen name R.L. Toalson; poetry, memoir and humor under Rachel Toalson; and narrative nonfiction stories and literature under Rachel L. Toalson.
Rachel is a regular contributor to Huff Post Parents, Scary Mommy, a Bundle of THYME magazine and many other publications across the world.
Born in Houston, Rachel lives with her husband and six boys in San Antonio, Texas, where she faithfully writes 5,000 words a day, five days a week.