Barellynn and Metula's Haven

Doing rewrites for Book 1. Here is a little about the Frewyn village of Barellynn.

Ghelbhi and the duckling

The village of Barellynn was a quaint and modest community, suffering from moderation but not lacking in spirits and cheerfulness. The mid-afternoon of the small village was filled with lively music from the inn, scents of baked bread from the homes, and the tinkling ripples from the birth of its afamed and tranquil lake. Barellynn Mere stood as the center of the parish, surrounded by flowerbeds and charming benches inviting the village’s occupants to sit and admire the construction in the lake’s heart. 

                Metula’s Haven stood as a testament to Frewyn’s tolerance for magic. The fort and refuge accepted all of the kingdom’s benevolent practitioners and house even those more inclined to practice the less wholesome of magicks for a short time. The fort itself was but a pale imitation of its former glory but was still large enough to accommodate numerous mages and even those who were merely seeking refuge from Frewyn’s harsh winters. Within the fort’s ivy ridden walls was a veritable community of those magically inclined and those not alike, uniting them in the chapel, the dining hall, the boarding house, the classrooms, the library, and the main hall of the academy.

                Ghelbhi stood at the edge of the mere, listening to the lapping waters as she beheld the large stronghold. She reckoned the high-walled citadel must be almost as large as the temple on Sanhedhran. Its square make and high apses on opposing sides of the citadel were remarkable, and Ghelbhi beamed in all possible brilliance to think that this would be her new home. It would also be the dwelling place of her new little friend, and though she would not keep the duck as a pet for herself she would see him swimming in the mere or flying about once her residence at the Haven would be settled. She placed her friend in the lake, bidding him to take care of the cold waters, and she requested that he visit her as often as was possible. She received a few quacks of approbation and gratitude for bringing him hither and he paddled toward the fortress in search of some dewed short grass to eat.