Stephen B. Allen

Foregoing her usual opening in an attempt to control the middle of the board with her pawn, it was the Queen's Knight with which she made her first move. I glanced up from the Board to see a smug smile upon her face, as if she were expecting some confusion upon my part due to her change of tactics. Nodding my head slightly, I did not comment upon the unusual move on her part. Moving my gaze back to the board, I casually asked, "My Lady, do you know why the only piece which can open the game besides a pawn is the Knight?" Caught by surprise at my question, though she maintained her air of superiority, she eventually replied, "I believe it is due to being capable of jumping the pawn, Mr. Ainsley." Placing my hand upon the piece she assumed I would use for my opening move, I turned my attention away from the board to once again gaze upon her face. While changing to another piece entirely to make my play, I answered matter-of-factly, "Actually, that move is allowed by the rules, My Lady. I should have thought you would have been aware of what those were -- my mistake." Ever wonder what a smug expression looks like when it virtually melts off someone's face? Play chess with me sometime and find out.About the AuthorStephen B. Allen lives in Tennessee with his wife Brenda, their two spoiled dogs, and a million wonderful memories of time spent with their family. Having entered this life as a small child sixty-some years ago, in many ways he acts the same even to this day. He is the proud author of the soon to be released series of Middle-Age historical fantasy books Tales From the Lands of Arlington Green. He hopes you enjoy your visits to The Land of Arlington Green. It really is worth the trip.

If you enjoy Historical Fantasy tales of wizards and warriors...of desperate battles where even courage in the face of the enemy may not be enough to turn the tide...and a "Hero" who is as far from what you would perceive the title to imply-then "Death Comes Calling" is for you. Taking place in the early Middle Ages in a country very similar to England of that time, "Death Comes Calling"-the third book in the captivating series "Tales From The Lands of Arlington Green"-manages to blend humorous tales with exciting adventures to create a good read that is difficult to put down.A collection of interconnected stories, "Death Comes Calling" focuses upon the adventures-as well as misadventures-of a true enigma. A young scribe named Dylan, whose talent for finding trouble is an art form, sees life as a game to be played and won by his wits and his stubbornness. Whether the game is on the chessboard against The Duchess or new ways to evade responsibilities, he always plays to win. A good man in spite of himself, he does have a kind heart...its his brain that is sometimes questionable What better way to turn an impetuous immature boy into a man than the influence of a good woman? Through the influence of The Duke and Duchess as well as the beautiful young songstress Robyn, Dylan begins to change himself into someone quite capable of becoming a man to be reckoned with. Their fledgling school thrives under his leadership, he out-duels a powerful wizard out to destroy Arlington Greens grain supply...and then he goes and rams a sailing ship the Duke is interested in buying into a dock He is Dylan after all At this time, Arlington Green earns the wrath of their neighbor, the newly appointed Earl of Thornsbury. Angry that his prior attempt at destroying Arlington Green's major food source had failed, the young impetuous fool Thornsbury decides he will form an army of mercenaries to invade and burn Arlington Green to the ground His intentions discovered, Arlington Green gears for war Fielding a Militia with no experience in battle, in order to inspire the farmers and townsfolk of Arlington Green to stand and fight in the face of a desperate enemy, it is decided that they need to be lead by one of their own. Appointed as the figure-head Commander of the Militia, Dylan (who has no military experience of his own) has former Royal Army Officers to handle tactical decisions and maneuvers in actual battle. Questioning if he has what it takes to stand and fight...in addition to being an inspiration to the men under his command...Dylan is about to face the biggest challenge of his life On the day of the battle, his Tactical Commander is needed elsewhere, leaving Dylan completely in charge of an inexperienced force of farmers and tradesman facing experienced soldiers out for blood It so happens that Thornsbury's land abuts The Channel, the body of water which separates The Realm from their traditional enemies "The Army Who Wears Blue". With tensions mounting between both countries to nearly the breaking point, wouldn't Thornsbury's be the perfect location to land an invasion force?Life can be so funny sometimes. Here you have the lives of the families of Arlington Green at stake, plus the balance of power between two traditional warring nations, all placed in the hands of a former Teller-of-Tales with no military experience who questions his ability to stay and fight once battle has commenced Wish the man luck-he's going to need it

If you enjoy Historical Fantasy tales of wizards and warriors...of desperate battles where even courage in the face of the enemy may not be enough to turn the tide...and a "Hero" who is as far from what you would perceive the title to imply, then "Death Comes Calling" may be for you. Taking place in the early Middle Ages in a country very similar to England of that time, "Death Comes Calling"-the third book in the captivating series "Tales From The Lands of Arlington Green"-manages to blend humorous tales with exciting adventures to create a good read that is difficult to put down.A collection of inter-connected stories, "Death Comes Calling" focuses upon the adventures-as well as misadventures-of a clever young scribe named Dylan. After years of wandering throughout the Medieval countryside sharing stories born within his fertile mind of the heroic deeds of others, he gives up his nomadic lifestyle and takes a position on The Staff for The Duke and Duchess of The Village of Arlington Green. Finding it difficult to transition from his days of being completely free to now having to answer to others, he battles the need to grow into the man fate has decreed he must become. Through the influence of The Duke, Duchess, and especially a beautiful young songstress named Robyn, Dylan begins to exhibit a remarkable ability to achieve whatever he attempts. He thrives as Administrator of the village's new school, thwarts the attempt of an evil wizard sent to destroy Arlington Green's wheat crop with 'magic' of his own, and then goes and rams a ship which The Duke is considering buying into a dock He is Dylan after all It is also at this time that Arlington Green earns the wrath of their neighbor, the newly appointed Earl of Thornsbury. Desperate to retaliate for Arlington Green building their own mill and thus destroying his monopoly upon the making of flour, when the wizard he had sent to devastate Arlington Green fails, this young impetuous fool decides that he will gain his revenge by forming an army of mercenaries to invade and burn Arlington Green to the ground His intentions discovered, Arlington Green gears for war by the forming of a Militia as well as hiring former Royal Army soldiers to create a Regiment deemed capable of defeating Thornsbury's Legion.Appointed as the figurehead Commander of The Militia in order to inspire the farmers and townsfolk of Arlington Green to stand and fight as they are being led by one of their own, Dylan has a former Royal Army Officer for the handling all tactical decisions for The Militia...until the day of the battle when Dylan is forced to take complete command of his inexperienced fighting force It so happens that Thornsbury's land abuts The Channel, the body of water which separates The Realm from their traditional enemies "The Army Who Wears Blue". With tensions mounting between both countries to nearly the breaking point, wouldn't Thornsbury's be the perfect location to land an invasion force?Life can be so funny sometimes. Here you have the lives and futures of the families of Arlington Green at stake, plus the balance of power between two traditional warring nations, all placed in the hands of a former Teller-of-Tales with no military experience who questions his ability to stay and fight once battle has commenced Wish the man luck-he's going to need it

For most people of those times, life in the Middle Ages can be difficult, indeed. For our young friend Dylan, it can prove down-right impossible In Dylan's Dilemmas", the second book of the series "Tales From The Lands Of Arlington Green", we follow the latest mis-adventures of our Teller-of-Tales hero (?) Dylan as he blindly stumbles through the greatest challenge of his life Fighting an evil dragon, perhaps? Nothing as mundane as such a simple feat for our young friend. No, all Dylan has to do is manage to overcome the gigantic immovable obstacle in his path in order to win the heart of a beautiful young songstress Robyn. That obstacle naturally, is young Dylan himself. Fate may have brought them together, but when matched against Dylan and his penchant for frivolity and foolish behavior, fate doesn't stand a chance For a Teller-of-Tales to find himself tongue-tied in the presence of so beautiful a woman may sound a bit ridiculous, but as we had discovered in "The Road To Nowhere Leads Everywhere", Dylan is nothing if not complicated and confusing. You say that you need someone to successfully open a school for the village children when it has never been done before? Then Dylan is your man. When a destructive traveling wizard comes to Arlington Green to rob the people and destroy the village grain supply, who but Dylan would be capable of out-magicing such an evil source of power and cunning? Sounds as if our young friend is becoming the man he is destined to be, doesn't it? And yet, when you would wish to be re-introduced to the woman whom you never thought you would ever see again, who but Dylan would think to perform such a feat in the stables while making a quick turn-about and equally sudden stop as he held a shovel full of horse manure in his hands? Think that throwing a ball of mud is a great way to get attention and show a young lady that you are interested in her? Dylan did. He doesn't anymore. Floundering in the ocean of love, Dylan is thrown a lifeline by the Duke of Arlington Green who teaches him the most valuable lesson that a young man could ever learn. Simply put, this great truth is that he will never...ever...wins an argument with a woman. Need he buy her a new dress to replace the one destroyed in the stables? Absolutely. Should be purchase her yet another present to have the chance to attempt to explain his inexplicable behavior. Undoubtedly. Should he be piloting a ship which The Duke is considering purchasing on the real ocean? Remember the pitchfork full of horse manure and Robyn's dress? This little episode doesn't turn out quite so well With the assistance of some excellent advice from the rest of The Manor's Staff as well as the Duke and Duchess themselves, Dylan begins to gain confidence in himself to where he begins to trust not only Robyn, but most especially himself. It is then when his real self begins to emerge and we see a young man not only capable of making mistakes, but most especially learning from them. Slowly, he begins to grow into the man worthy of fulfilling the prediction that one day he will become capable of deeds both great and yet terrible to behold He had best hurry up, for the seeds of war with the neighboring Earl of Thornsbury have been planted and are fast growing out of control In the third book of the series "Death Comes Calling", Dylan will be counted on to save Arlington Green in a way he could never have possibly imagined. Yet in the meantime, he will continue to perform deeds worthy of being thrown into the dungeon of Arlington Green. It's just who he is. Can Robyn possibly see beyond the boy and recognize within the man someone worth inexhaustible patience and understanding? Can Dylan find a way out of the dungeon in order to prove his worth by being there for the woman he loves? Will The Duke ever get a ship without a huge hole in the bow? For the answers to these and many other questions, simply open the pages of "Dylan's Dilemmas".

The Road To Nowhere Leads Everywhere is the first volume in the series Tales From The Lands Of Arlington Green, a collection of often humorous and always exciting historical fantasy adventures. Taking place in the later Middle Ages in a land similar to England of the period. The Road To Nowhere Leads Everywhere introduces the reader to the central character, a young man named Dylan, whose need to experience the life of a wandering Teller-of-Tales lives within his dreams and burns within his spirit. Deciding to follow his dream, Dylan leaves The Capital where he has always lived and takes to life upon the road. There is only one slight problem; he has no idea of where to go or what to do next Life in the Middle-Age countryside can be a very dangerous place Feudalism is the law of the land, individual Barons and Earls running their ancestral territories as they see fit. The common people have nowhere to turn as Knights and Men-at-Arms fan out into the countryside to impose their Lord's latest edict. The life of a peasant is very hard, and can become short at any time.At least the peace between the country and their traditional enemy across The Channel who wear the Coats of Blue is holding, yet its tentative grip is slipping as men of power see opportunity to be gained by the chaos of a battlefield.Into this maelstrom of danger and confusion walks our young, inexperienced friend Dylan. Lacking knowledge as well as confidence in himself, he blunders through one mishap after another. If one considers being the catalyst leading to the destruction of an entire village or nearly freezing to death in a Holiday blizzard a mistake, then Dylan makes big ones. Armed only with his intelligence, his good heart, as well as his stubborn nature which refuses to back away from any challenge which comes his way, Dylan learns that it is acceptable to make mistakes, for that is how we acquire wisdom. Growing in confidence from every experience, he slowly becomes a man to be reckoned with; yet he will always retain his love for life and his desire to find humor in every situation he encounters.Not everyone finds his attitude enjoyable, most especially The Duchess of Arlington Green.An oasis in the madness of a Feudal world, Arlington Green is a place where hard work is never attained with the aid of a lash; rather, it is the respect given the people by The Duke and Duchess which allows the village, and most especially the people, to thrive During an impromptu visit to the town, Dylan is invited to ply his craft at dinner for The Duke and Duchess, as well as their two young sons, and the rest of The Manor's Staff. So impressed by his intelligence and ability, The Duke and Duchess offer Dylan the opportunity to join the Staff as a mentor to the boys.Here is where the conflict begins.Having been on the road for over a year, Dylan has grown used to being his own boss and having the freedom to do as he pleases. He wants to laugh, as it hides his true inner lack of confidence. The Duchess sees it as an immaturity needing to be removed. While there is some butting of heads, they both respect the other and life generally is pleasant. It is on the chessboard, however, where a friendly game becomes a battle of wits pitting two people who refuse to lose at anything against each other. The boys are no longer allowed to be present, as they would learn too many bad words from their mother when she loses.It is at a Festival of Music where Dylan encounters a beautiful Songstress named Robyn to whom he is instantly attracted in spite of the fact that they both have fallen into a sea of mud and are covered from head to toe Will he be able to overcome the defensive walls he has built around himself and open up to the young lady?What do you think?We understand Dylan so well, as these adventures are chronicled by him. We see a confused young man grow into someone who can be formidable, capable of deeds both amazing yet terrible to behold