Author: Erica Drayton Writes

Original Magic Shop of Wondermere

To understand what it means to be born into the Maranigan family we must go back nearly two hundred years. I am sure the name of King Malfus is still fresh in your memory. He’s king who lost his son to magicianary.

At the time that prince Andrew was busy trying to learn how to do magic, a boy by the name of Jan Maranigan was just coming into his own. His parent’s worked in the castle. His mother was a cook and father a member of the king’s guardsmen. The king required round the clock watch by his men. This meant their wives and any children they had lived within the castle grounds. King Malfus took a liking to Jan immediately. He became the son King Malfus wished he had. A hard worker and smart especially for a child.

When King Malfus died, he left everything to his son and heir to the throne, except for a rather insignificant, at the time, piece of land that was left to Jan Maranigan to build whatever he wanted on it. I’m Sure King Malfus assumed Jan would build a home that generations upon generations could call their own. And in a way, he did just that. But with a rather ingenious addition on the main floor, living quarters for his family above.

I discovered a journal from King Malfus II who tried to contest this piece of land with the court that his father put in place to protect his son from himself. Here is just one of many letters that were sent, and ignored, by the members of the court:

This land was given to Maranigan so long as certain provisions were followed; I have evidence to the contrary. I urge the court to confirm nothing illegal is happening and if there is, the land that once belonged to the crown should be returned forthwith.

This letter and every other that has been sent since the time of King Malfus II were all ignored. The court, as you will later learn, are appointed by the crown, but as I uncovered in my research that doesn’t always go favorably for the king. The court of record during King Malfus II’s reign chose to abide by his father’s wishes and I suppose the Maranigans have them to thank.

To keep the peace and show King Malfus II that they were aligned with the crown, Jan built Maranigan’s Wonder and his home right above it. Its purpose? To sell the best quality clothing and props that any magician from beginner to elite could buy. In return for getting support from the crown, Jan agreed to share fifteen percent of the profits. 

Yes, there is a contract on record for this arrangement. But King Malfus II was not about to simply let this piece of land go. It served as a constant reminder that his father loved Jan as if he were his own son and even I don’t have to try too hard to reach that conclusion. Therefore, a stipulation was put in place if he was to agree to this partnership: Maranigan’s Wonder must always be owned and managed by a male Maranigan. Should there be no male heir to pass the shop to the land would automatically revert to the crown and anything built upon it would belong to the crown to do whatever they want with it. If I were a betting lady, I would say King Malfus II wanted to destroy it.

This is significant to the Maranigan line as the Wonder shop has been in business for over one hundred years now. For the records, here is a family tree that documents the full lineage of Maranigan and its owners.

Of note is the present-day owner, listed on the deed of record as “Jan” Maranigan. I was able to speak with Jan privately and on the record. Here is Jan’s story as well as some information I gathered on my own.

Jan was born Josephine Maranigan. What happens next is something I could not make up even if I tried.

Josephine’s great-grandparents, Lysander and Imogen, had one daughter. Now, at this time the crown could’ve stepped in and contested the deal that was made between Jan and King Malfus II. However, in 1649 Bullmar was in the middle of a war that almost led to the end of the Conroy reign. The last thing on their mind was a small piece of property.

Now, Jan’s aunt (Jane) and uncle (Clark) are, as far as I know, missing. I am unable to find anything about what happened to them or where they are. Jan admits she had a cousin, their son, but would say little more about where Lucas and his parents are.

Word on the street is that Jane had a falling out with her brother over the care of their father, Ashley Maranigan, after he suffered an injury that left him crippled from the waist down and bedridden.

I’ve exhausted all of my contacts trying to find Jane and her husband, but nothing. Should that change I’ll definitely be sure to document where they’ve been all this time. In the meantime, should they come out of hiding there is a chance Lucas Maranigan has an inheritance he can claim on the Maranigan Wonder shop just based on when he was born. 

Which leaves me to discuss the story behind the current owner of the Maranigan Wonder shop, Jan. Birth name of Josephine Maranigan, named after her mother. When Josephine was born, her parent’s had decided to tell anyone who asked that they had a boy. There were questions about the future of Wonder shop when Jane and Clark disappeared into the night. Then William and Josephine gave birth, and everyone just assumed it was a boy. They simply never corrected that assumption and Josephine at a young age understood what the shop meant to her family as well as her father. She was willing to be called Jan from birth. She wore the male clothing easily and her small size helped her hide easily.

In her teenage years she met Alice Howard, and they became best friends. So close, in fact, that Alice became the only person outside of her parent’s who knew her true self. When the time came for Jan to take over the shop, she asked Alice to live with her in order to keep up the pretense she had lived out her entire life. By this time Alice was a widow with a young son. She agreed to the arrangement, and they’ve lived happily together ever since.

For a time, the Maranigan family could rest assured no one was going to try and take their shop from them. That is, until King Cyprus II. It was evident that he would not be as lenient as his father. He wants the land back and were he to find out the deception currently taking place at Wonder, Jan would be evicted, and the land taken.

As this is something that will not be seen until after my death, I feel I must speak frankly. It infuriates me to know what this family has had to endure to keep land that should not be allowed to be questioned so harshly. I credit the court for coming to the defense of King Malfus’ wishes and ensuring they were carried out. However, seeing how women, me included, are so easily underestimated and disregarded in practice, I look forward to using what little influence I have to highlight as many of them as I can. 

As it turns out, women really do rule Wondermere in more ways than one. 

Look for my next piece to cover a look at the Pomroy lineage, a family where women are held in the highest regard and given, quite literally, the keys to the colosseum.