Once Upon a Marigold

Edric the troll lives a quiet, comfy life in the woods with little more than his two dogs and his campaign to get the Tooth Fairy fired on his mind. Of course, that all changes abruptly when he finds a little boy hiding in the bushes, who follows him home and refuses to leave. Edric ends up raising the boy, named Christian, but he quickly grows up and begins nursing a crush on the local princess. When Christian leaves the cave to find his place in the world, it isn't long before he gets wrapped up in something much, much bigger than he could anticipate.

There is a sequel, Twice Upon a Marigold. The author is currently working on Thrice Upon a Marigold.

---

Tropes used in Once Upon a Marigold include:

• Amnesiac Dissonance: Olypmia in the second book.
• Arranged Marriage: All over the place.
• Bad Boss: Rollo, captain of the palace guards, does everything in his power to have Christian killed just because his girlfriend found him cute. And of course, there's Olympia, who would have anyone who even looked at her wrong beheaded if she had her way.
• Big Friendly Dog: Edric's dog, Beelzebub, is a wuss who hides behind his size.
• Changeling Fantasy: Subverted in that Christian ran away from his royal heritage to live in the woods with a troll.
• ~Chekov's Gun~: The phoenix charm, the blacksmith's flying machine scraps, and the loose stone on the castle terrace are all integral to the climax.
• Dumb Blonde: Subverted by Marigold's triplet sisters, who were cowed into acting dumb and submissive by Olympia.
• God Save Us From the Queen: Olypmia, who, aside from being a Rich Bitch, casually drugs her husband and plots the death of their youngest child to have the throne for herself.
• Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Olympia forces Marigold into these often, since she believes Marigold too plain for a regular Pimped-Out Dress to work.
• Mister Muffykins: Edric's second dog, Hecate, looks like one, but is really just desperate for attention. Olympia's vicious ferret, Fenleigh, plays this completely straight.
• Orphan's Plot Trinket: The gold phoenix charm in Christian's suit, which marks him as the heir to Beaufort's kingdom. Played with in that Christian never looks at or touches it after going to live with Ed.
• Rebellious Princess: Marigold, through and through. By the end, her sisters have joined her as well.
• Suddenly-Suitable Suitor: Christian.