Okay, the start is a bit unclear but I'll see what I can do with it. FYI, the Desert of Dreams is going to be a land, like Narnia, Mossflower, or Kirthanin. There are, however, many foreign lands beyond the Desert of Dreams. King Horatio the Not-Very-Nice (hereafter referred to as "Horatio the NVN") resides in the City of Tears. At least, that's what most Desert of Dreams inhabitants call it. The official name for the city is Nuverandim, which means, in some long lost language: "In (the arms of) peace." People think this is a stupid name, because Horatio the NVN is (needless to say) not a very nice or peaceful guy. Legend tells, though, of a certain prophecy about the city....
There are two main reasons that Horatio has been dubbed "Not Very Nice". One, he taxes his people ridiculously high and gives little of it back to the people. Two, he is the consummate master of dirty practical jokes. In several decades (or all the time Horatio the NVN has been king), not a banquet, birthday, or any celebration has gone by without some innocent baron, baroness, captain, guard, lord, lady, peasant, etc. getting pied in the face, sitting on a whoopee cushion, entering with a mustache drawn on his/her face, finding a rubber snake in his armor, or being the victim of an even more dastardly deed. The occupants of the Desert of Dreams obviously think this is terribly immature, but no one dares tell that to the King's face.
Unlike most fairy tale princesses, Edith is not the most beautiful person in the land. Ugly? No. Good looking? Perhaps. Drop dead gorgeous? Nope. She, does, of course, still have many suitors considering that she is the lone heir to the Desert of Dreams, but all of them are only interested in her for the power and riches. This makes Edith really depressed. What she really wants is someone who can see her and love her for who she truly is as a person. Oftentimes, she is tired of being a princess, and wishes that for once she could be a normal girl like everyone else instead of an immature King's spoiled daughter.
Jard is a young (about 17 yrs old) knight-in-training with the King's high army in Nuverandim. Years ago, he initially showed great promise as a skilled swordsman and rider, and every knight in the army vowed that he possessed skills and natural abilities far beyond their own. As the years and training have gone by, though, Jard has proven to be almost a complete flop. Next month, the top tier of squires will be selected to continue their training for Knighthood, and Jard knows he will not be one of them. Therefore, he has decided that he must somehow prove himself worthy of knighthood. Jard has heard many fantastic (and terrifying) tales about great danger, riches, and fair maidens in the mysterious lands beyond the Desert of Dreams, and so he has decided to embark on a noble quest into these lands in order to make a name for himself and regain what little honor he has lost.
--Andrew C
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