A Sleep Story from the Ember Isles - Angelika and the Restless Dragon - Rest: Sleepy Bedtime Stories

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good evening and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and i'll be your host this evening. Before

(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest as we embark

(00:51):
on a tranquil voyage. Let's set our course for the
enchanted Kingdom of the Ember Isles. But before we dive
into this dreamlike tale, let's ease the tension in our
bodies with a deep, soothing breath. And now let's clear

(01:20):
the clutter from our minds with another calming breath. Now
close your eyes and follow my voice into a story
called Angelica and the Restless Dragon. The Ember Aisles were

(01:48):
a magical chain of islands filled with wonder. There were
bottomless lakes and hidden valleys, enchanted god gardens and resplendent castles,
roaring rivers and lost libraries. Towns, villages and cities dotted

(02:13):
the islands, all protected and cared for by the kind
and generous Queen Tatiana. When the Queen could not tend
to matters of the kingdom herself, she often sent her
clever and free spirited daughter, Princess Mila. It was on

(02:38):
one such occasion that Princess Mila showed up at the
doorstep of our hero, a young woman named Angelica. Angelica
lived on the eastern bank of the Parchmore River, near
the village of Norbury. A thriving vegetable garden surround it

(03:04):
her charming cottage, filled with carrots and peas, tomatoes and squash,
beetroot and turnips. Beans dangled from their vines, rustling with
the wind as they shaded a small wooden table where

(03:27):
Angelica sat with a cup of tea and a book
of poetry. She had gentle eyes and a kind smile,
curly hair, and impeccable style, and there was not a
bone in her body that was cruel or harsh or vile.

(03:55):
She was many things, a creative spirit, a talented poet,
and a loyal, thoughtful friend. But with her voice she
could soothe even the most fitful sleepers and lull them

(04:18):
into a peaceful, RESTful slumber. Word of Angelica's gift had
spread throughout the kingdom, and people came from far and
wide for help. They would stay at the local inn,

(04:39):
where she would read to them until they fell into
a deep sleep. Even with her quiet fame, it still
came as a surprise to see the princess herself knocking
on the garden gate. May I come in, Princess Mila asked,

(05:04):
standing on her tiptoes to peer over the worn, weathered wood.
Of course, Princess Angelica replied, dipping her head with a curtsy.
After rising from her chair, the Princess smiled and pushed

(05:26):
open the gate, the latch rattling and hinges squeaking as
she entered, and Jelica frowned and looked toward the road,
expecting to see a retinue of knights, handmaidens, or an

(05:46):
escort of some kind. It's just me, the princess said,
as she knelt to examine a ripening cucumber. Yourself, Angelica asked,
in surprise. But you're just she turned red and stopped

(06:10):
herself from finishing her sentence. A little girl, the princess grinned. Well,
Angelica admitted, with a sheepish look. I'll be fifteen this winter,
Princess Miela said, the same age as my grandmother when

(06:34):
she became a queen. Of course, Princess Angelica said, bowing
her head to what do I owe this honor? I
need your help, the princess sighed. Well, more specifically, a

(06:56):
friend of mine needs your help. Are they at the inn?
Shall I meet them there? No, I'm afraid we shall
have to go to him, the princess said, carefully. Is
he shy or? Angelica inquired something like that. I'd like

(07:22):
to get to him, if you don't mind, the sooner
the better, of course, Princess, let me just pack a
few things. May I get you some tea, biscuits? Perhaps
I baked a few scones this morning, and Jelica offered.

(07:46):
The princess shook her head and sat at the table
to wait. Inside the cottage, Angelica pulled back her hair,
dawn her favorite coat, and filled a satchel with supplies.
She paused at one of her many bookcases and examined

(08:11):
the volumes. She ran a finger over their spines, searching
through the titles. What shall I bring, she wondered as
she perused her collection. A fairy tale poetry, something historical,

(08:37):
a novel, perhaps, Is there any particular genre your friend
might enjoy? Angelica asked, I don't know. The princess frowned.
I trust your judgment. After selecting an assort of books,

(09:01):
and Jelica left her home and locked the door behind her.
Where are we going, she asked the Princess white Rock,
Princess Miela said, shouldering the bag she had left outside
the gate, and Jelica raised her brows in surprise. It

(09:27):
had been a while since she had left Norbury, let
alone the island. To reach White Rock, they would have
to travel from the heart of the Ember Isles all
the way to the western edges. Most of those islands

(09:49):
were home to small farms that produced much of the
Kingdom's lavender berries and honey. As for bar As Angelicanoe,
the tiny island of White Rock was uninhabited due to
its steep cliffs and mountainous terrain. The princess's friend must

(10:15):
really be shy if he lived in such a place.
Shaking her head, and Jelka adjusted the strap of her
bag on her shoulder and followed the princess from the garden.
As they walked, they discussed their mutual love of books,

(10:40):
and Jelica had her preferences, but it seemed the Princess
would read anything and everything and had There wasn't a title,
and Jelica brought up that Princess Mila hadn't read She
was even familiar with some of Angelica's work. You submit

(11:07):
to the Writer's Festival almost every year, the princess explained.
Last year's poem was tragic yet beautiful. You actually read it,
Angelica replied, in disbelief. I read all the submissions, Princess

(11:32):
Mila grind I wish all of them were as good
as yours. The kingdom would be a better place. I
don't know about that, Angelica murmured. She often struggled to write,
finding herself stuck, unable to find the next words. Sometimes

(11:59):
she grew so despondent she would give up for weeks,
even months at a time. Then there was her friend
who lived on another island. He could produce entire completed
works in what felt like hours. Everyone has their own pace,

(12:25):
the princess said, as if reading Angelica's thoughts, what matters
is that you write. Quantity and speed are unrelated to quality.
Angelica shrugged and glanced behind her. Her cottage had long

(12:48):
since faded from view, and now even the chimney smoke
of the village had vanished from the horizon. She tried
asking more about the Princess's friend, but the girl remained
vague with her answers. Could it be the prince consort?

(13:14):
And Jelica wondered she couldn't imagine why Princess Miela's father
would be in White Rock, but who else would be
this important? And Jelica continued to ponder the identity of
the Princess's friend until they reached the shore of the island. There,

(13:41):
the grasses and trees gave way to a wide stretch
of soft, white sand studded with boulders and driftwood worn
smooth by the sea. With the sun now high in
the sky and the warm sea air blowing around them,

(14:07):
Angelica and Princess Mila removed their jackets and shoes to
walk bare foot on the beach. The gentle sound of
the lapping waves was soothing, and Angelica found herself drifting

(14:27):
in and out of daydreams as she walked. She was
shaken from her thoughts when the beach took a sharp
curve into a sheltered cove between high cliffs. Anchored in
the narrow inlet was a small fishing boat that rose

(14:51):
and fell with the waves. Standing on the deck was
a young man who waved and called out a greeting
to the princess. He climbed over the rail and dropped
into a little rowboat, bobbing beside the fishing vessel. As

(15:15):
he grew closer. To Angelica's great surprise, she recognized him. Tash, Angelica,
you know each other, the princess asked. We went to
the same academy growing up. Angelica replied, shaking her head

(15:41):
in disbelief. It's been years, Tash said, with an incredulous laugh,
It's so wonderful to see you. Then, with a frown,
he looked at the princess. You can't be serious. She

(16:03):
can't this really, he stammered, Yes she can, the princess said,
with stubborn insistence. But Princess Princess Miehler crossed her arms
and stared at Tash until he held up his hands

(16:28):
in resignation, and Jelica frowned, who is this friend, Princess?
I'll tell you once we're on our way, the princess promised. Now,
can we get going with a sigh, and Jelica stepped

(16:53):
into the little rowboat and sat across from Tash. It
was strange seeing him so far away from the capitol,
let alone in the countryside. She climbed up onto the
deck of the fishing boat and leaned against the railing.

(17:18):
There she settled in to wait until they were out
at sea, before summoning the courage to ask Tash the
questions burning in her chest. Last I heard you were
going to attend the Royal Academy in Dawnspire. Angelica began

(17:42):
to study medical law, she guessed, trying to remember I did,
Tash replied. He went on to explain that he had
first met Princess Mila on his visits to the Castle library.

(18:03):
He went there often enough that soon they became familiar.
A library, Angelica chuckled, Not the tavern or the old meday, actually,
Tash laughed. I would see her at the mediay from

(18:25):
time to time. Her friend Violet's father is the Royal Gardener,
and he would often come to deliver honey. She and
Princess Miela liked to accompany him. And how did you
wind up here captaining a little boat? Tash laughed again.

(18:50):
He told Angelica that several years ago he had offered
the despondent princess his help if she ever needed it.
He had forgotten the incident until the princess came to
collect that favor, landing him here of all places. Angelica

(19:14):
smiled and shook her head. Tash was never one to
back down once he gave his word. That was it, even, apparently,
if that meant borrowing a fishing boat and sailing all

(19:35):
over the Ember Isles. So why are we going to
White Rock? Angelica asked. She was speaking to Tash, but
aimed the question at Mihla. The princess looked up from
her book, which she was reading by the mast, and

(19:59):
let he a sigh. A promise is a promise, she sighed.
My friend is very shy, she said. He likes to
keep to himself, but he hasn't been able to sleep
for weeks, and it's made him rather irritable. That's one

(20:25):
way to put it. Tash muttered, you should see what
he did to the neighboring towns. What do you mean,
and Jelica asked, he stole all their sheep, the princess admitted,
and he won't give them back until he gets some

(20:48):
sleep goodness, Angelica thought. She bit her lip. She had
never dealt with a case of insomnies this severe before.
I hope I can help. Then, after a moment, she

(21:09):
laughed to herself. Leave it to the princess to befriend
a hermit living all alone in white Rock. Princess Miela,
like her mother, cares for everyone in ember Isles, Tash said,

(21:30):
with an admiring look at the young princess. The princess
beamed and returned to her book, and Jelica didn't feel
quite satisfied with what she had learned, but decided to
leave it alone for now. She left Tash at the

(21:53):
wheel and walked over to the edge of the ship,
pulling her jacket around her for warmth. The evening air
was cool on the sea, and it sent a slight
chill through her body. Despite the breeze, the water was calm,

(22:17):
looking almost like glass. As the sky began to darken,
one by one, the stars crept out and reflected off
the smooth surface. The sea and the sky blended together

(22:38):
until Angelica could not tell where one ended and the
other began. It was like she was sailing among the stars.
The only thing that reminded her that they were on
the water were the rips left by the boat. With

(23:04):
a yawn, the princess curled up on a pile of
sailcloth and covered herself with a blanket. While Tash remained
awake by the wheel, and Jellica pulled out a quill
and a piece of paper and began to write. Inspiration

(23:30):
came in bursts, and she dared not let them go by.
She wrote about how grateful she was to live in
such a beautiful place, and how each day was a blessing.
She wrote about her faith, and her garden and her friends.

(23:56):
She wrote to remind herself that she was blessed to
be in such a wondrous world, and how blessed it
was to have her in it. When Angelaka finished, she
sighed and tucked away her quill, glad she had taken

(24:20):
the time to write. A short distance away, Princess Miela
yawned and stretched beneath her blanket. Good morning, Princess Tash said,
it's still nighttime, Tash, Princess Miela said, with a sleepy smile,

(24:45):
But it is after midnight. Tash smirked. The princess rolled
her eyes and walked to the front of the ship,
and Jelaka followed her and looked out over the water.
The mountainous form of white rock was looming before them.

(25:11):
The steep walls of stone rose from the narrow, pebbled
beach and stretched toward the sky. Tash sailed the ship
right up to the beach, telling everyone to hold on
as it ground to a halt. He jumped out first

(25:35):
and held out a hand for the princess. She ignored
him and hopped to the ground with the grace of
a cat. Angelica, however, accepted Tasha's help and took his
hand as she climbed from the boat. The princess took

(25:58):
the lead, with Tash and Angelica left to follow. They
made their way from the beach to a path winding
up and away from the gently lapping water. Hundreds of
sheep tracks covered the hard packed earth, but there were

(26:23):
no signs of the animals themselves. Where does this friend
of yours live? Angelica asked, as the trail led higher
and higher, not much farther, Princess Miela replied, she kept

(26:44):
her eyes fixed ahead and refused to meet anyone else's gaze.
Angelica looked at Tash, but he also avoided eye contact.
What did he know that she didn't. The princess stopped

(27:06):
before the mouth of a large cave. The sound of
hundreds of bleating sheep echoed from inside. Okay, what is
Angelica began, her words cut off by a loud, rumbling growl.

(27:29):
She paled and backed up a few steps. What is
going on? She finished, her voice shaking a little more
than she would have liked. You'll see, the princess said,
come on, he's just inside. When Angelika hesitated, Tash offered

(27:57):
her his arm, which she with a big, grudging sigh.
She hadn't forgotten that he also wouldn't tell her what
he knew. Still, he was familiar and his presence was comforting.

(28:18):
Just as they entered the cave, a loud raar echoed
off the rough stone walls, and Jelica's eyes went wide
in alarm. It can't be, she thought. She looked at
the princess in disbelief. She can't believe that. Come on,

(28:45):
The princess urged, grabbing Angelica's hand and dragging her forward.
When the cave opened up into a large cavern, and
Jelica's disbelief turned to a mixture of fear and bewilderment. There,

(29:07):
surrounded by sheep was a giant black dragon. Its yellow,
blood shot eyes darted around, lingering on first one sheep,
then another. After a while, it would close its eyes,

(29:30):
let out a frustrated growl, and shoot a jet of
flame in the air. Is it, Angelica whispered, he's counting sheep.
The princess nodded. He started with one flock, but he

(29:51):
would count all of them before he managed to fall asleep,
so he took more of them. But now there's so
many that he can't keep track of them. Angelica's mouth
fell open. She looked over at Tash and he gave

(30:14):
her an apologetic shrug. Then she looked back at the princess.
What do you expect me to do for him? She
asked in a loud whisper. The dragon snapped his jaws shut.
Realizing he was not alone with the sheep, He lifted

(30:38):
his great head and stared in the direction of the
three humans with narrowed eyes. It's just me, a alion, Princess,
Mila said with a wave. The dragon grumbled and looked

(30:59):
around at the sheep before giving the princess what seemed
to be a pleading look. I know, the princess said,
with a sympathetic smile, but I brought help. With a
begrudging groan, the dragon turned and picked his way through

(31:23):
the sheep. They milled about him like white fluffy clouds
as he moved toward a large stone shelf at the
rear end of the cavern. Angelica, still skeptical and afraid,

(31:44):
followed the fearless princess toward the dragon. Tash stayed at
her side, keeping himself between her and the sheep. He
helped princessmil scramble up the stone ledge, then offered his

(32:05):
knee to Angelica. She carefully placed her foot on his leg,
then stepped into his hand with the other. He makes
a good ladder, doesn't he, the princess said, with a smile. Somehow,

(32:27):
she seemed entirely at ease around the dragon. Behind the princess,
a veilion was circling around on top of a pile
of what appeared to be half the blankets in the kingdom.
Trying to get comfortable. He stomped on them with his

(32:52):
hind feet and scratched at them with the claws. On
the end of his wings. He finally laid down with
a huff, which sent a tiny burst of flame from
his nostrils. Princess Miela climbed up beside the dragon and

(33:17):
settled into the crook of his neck, while Angelica and
Tash watched in disbelief. Well, the princess said, with an
expectant expression, we're waiting. What what would you like me

(33:39):
to do? Angelica asked, Read to him, to the dragon,
to a valion. Yes. Angelica exchanged a glance with Tash,
who looked just as skeptical as she felt. We're waiting,

(34:04):
the princess repeated in an impatient sing song voice. Okay, okay,
Angelica breathed, looking around for something on which to sit.
She found a flat stone, took a seat, and shifted

(34:26):
her satchel onto her lap. She dug through the literature
she had brought, not really knowing what to read to
a dragon. At last, she pulled out a book, cleared
her throat, and began to read. Within just the first

(34:52):
few lines, Tash was yawning. He sat at the edge
of the net list of blankets and leaned back against them.
The princess peered over at him and rolled her eyes.
Angelica let out a soft chuckle, but didn't stop reading.

(35:18):
This was one of her more popular stories. It was
an account of a night spent on a frozen, snow
covered mountainside. It described the harsh beauty in such vivid
detail that it almost became poetry. When the story came

(35:44):
to an end, Tash was fast asleep, but the princess
and a velion were wide awake. The dragon shifted his
gaze to Angelica when she stopped reading. He looked annoyed,

(36:04):
but not surprised. Try another, The princess suggested, okay, and
Jelaka returned to her satchel and retrieved another title, This
one's about a Her words caught in her throat when

(36:27):
a vailion let out a low grumble, Yeah, don't ruin it.
The princess chimed in just read, and Ngelicus swallowed hard.
Still feeling a bit rattled by the dragon lying only

(36:48):
a few paces away, she opened the slender book and
began to read, in as soothing a voice as she
could muster. She recounted a tale of two black dogs
exploring a meadow filled with wildflowers. When the story finished,

(37:14):
the vibrant depictions of all the different blooms. Princess Mila
began to nod off. Then, as Angelica's voice grew softer
and softer, recounting the sunlight reflecting of a still pond,

(37:38):
the dragon's eyes began to droop, Then they drifted shut,
and his breathing grew soft and deep. It's working, Angelica thought,
feeling somewhat humbled by the power her voice possessed. But

(38:04):
as the tale came to a close, the dragon's eyes
flickered open. They shifted to the princess, whose chest rose
and fell with her gentle snores. Then they turned to Angelica,

(38:27):
but this time he did not have an annoyed sort
of look a Veilian, seemed instead to be pleading with her,
asking for just one more story, one more, Just one more,

(38:51):
Angelica thought, carefully. Reaching for her bag, she selected a book,
then paused, thought better of it, and put it back.
There was only one story that worked when all others failed.

(39:15):
Feeling confident that this would finally do the trick, Angelica
drew out a thin leather diary. Most of the pages
were blank except for the first few. She took a

(39:36):
deep breath and began to read the dragon watched and
listened as Angelica described the young hero of the story,
a young girl trying to find her place in life.

(39:57):
His eyes opened ever so slightly when she recounted all
the possible jobs and careers the girl could choose. He
even let out what sounded like a soft chuckle when
a talking bird startled the young heroine. Then, as Angelica

(40:24):
described the young girl's tears dripping into a narrow, winding river,
a valion's eyelids drooped lower and lower and lower, until

(40:45):
at last they closed. Angelica smiled as she continued reading.
She didn't even mind the soft snores from the dragon,
nor the tiny flames that flickered in his nostrils when

(41:10):
a veelion shifted slightly and Jelica's heart sank, But to
her great relief, the dragon was only settling deeper into
the cozy mountain of blankets. As her voice brought the

(41:33):
wondrous forest at the end of the story to life,
she looked around. She was the only one still awake.
When the tail ended Angelica closed the book. Tash was

(41:56):
sleeping on his back, his arms crossed and his head
resting to the side. Below her, the sheep were clustered
together like a great sea of fluffy white clouds. And

(42:17):
then there was the dragon, curled around Princess Mila, who
had a small smile on her face. Angelica covered her
mouth as she yawned. She placed the book back into

(42:38):
her satchel, lay down a little way from Tash, and
pulled the corner of a soft gray blanket over herself.
As she recounted the day's events in her head, she

(43:00):
found herself slipping into a deep, RESTful sleep.

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A Sleep Story from the Ember Isles - Angelika and the Restless Dragon

Episode Transcript

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