Rescue Princesses #5: The Snow Jewel (6 page)

Freya walked down the corridor with Minky still fast asleep in her arms. Now and then the kitten let out a tiny murmuring meow, as if she was having happy dreams of chasing mice.

Freya stopped outside a door with a large golden doorknob and bit her lip. All she could do was explain what had happened and hope her dad would understand. She knocked softly on the door and went in.

Her dad was sitting in a green leather armchair, reading a book. His golden crown was perched lopsidedly on top of his head. Behind him, shelves full of books stretched across the wall.

King Eric closed his book with a
snap
and frowned at her. “Freya, what on earth is going on? I thought I told you that the kittens should stay in the garden shed from now on.”

Freya took a step toward him. “But when we went to see them, we saw a big hole in the roof and the snow was coming in. We couldn’t leave the kittens there. It was freezing!”

King Eric’s frown deepened. “So you brought them back inside. Is that why one of them was running around the Great Hall this morning? It was very embarrassing having to chase her in front of our guests.”

Minky woke up and pricked up her ears. With a little shake of her head, she jumped down from Freya’s arms and padded over to King Eric. The king drew in his robes and tutted sharply. Minky leapt up onto his lap, turned around three times, and then settled down and purred.

King Eric stared at the bundle of black-and-white fur on his lap in complete surprise. Freya pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

Almost without meaning to, King Eric brought his hand up and scratched Minky gently between the ears.

“Well, Freya,” he said gruffly. “I have decided that the garden shed is a totally unsuitable place for such young animals. The mother cat and her kittens must stay in the laundry room from now on.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Freya beamed.

“And as for spending your time running around with these other princesses,” King Eric continued, “I’ve made a decision about that, too.”

“Oh, Dad!” cried Freya. “I love being with the other princesses. They’re so much fun! I wish I could see them all the time.”

“Well, I have some good news for you, then,” said her dad. “I’ve been talking to the other kings and queens and they’ve told me about a Royal Academy for Princesses that’s just right for girls your age. How would you like to go?”

“A princess school!” Freya gasped. “I’d love to!”

The king smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.

Minky stirred and let out a long meow, as if she was asking a question.

Freya’s happy face clouded over. “Oh, dear! I’ll miss you so much, Minky!”

“Actually, she can go, too,” said King Eric. “The academy lets each princess bring a pet, as long as it isn’t something too difficult to take care of.”

“Really?” squealed Freya. “That’s fantastic!”

“Now you must go and get ready for the banquet,” said the king. “Take this kitten with you.” He gave Minky one final stroke before handing her back.

Freya rushed back down the hallway. She felt like she was running on air. Soon she would be going to the Royal Academy for Princesses, and Minky would be coming, too!

When she opened the door, she found her bedroom empty. The other girls had probably gone to get dressed for the banquet, she thought. Putting Minky on her bed, she hurried to the wardrobe and pulled out a long, pale blue dress that
floated down to her ankles. She put it on and added her snowflake tiara. Then she looked in the mirror.

She noticed how her snow quartz glittered on the end of its long ribbon.

It was strange to think that the jewel had always been there looking out for her, just as her mom had meant it to.

“Thanks, Mom,” Freya whispered, and for a moment the gem seemed to glow a little brighter.

There was a knock at the door and Emily, Clarabel, Lulu, and Jaminta came in. Their dresses rustled as they moved. Emily wore a pink dress with red velvet flowers, Clarabel’s dress was dark blue, and Jaminta’s was made from smooth green silk. Lulu came in last, wearing a yellow dress dotted with sequins.

“I wish we didn’t have to go home tomorrow,” said Clarabel, smiling at
Freya. “I like Northernland — especially the sledding!”

“I’d better give you this ring back.” Freya slid the sapphire ring off her finger and handed it to Clarabel. “I’m going away to the Royal Academy for Princesses soon, so I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.”

“That’s funny!” Clarabel smiled at her. “I’m going to the academy, too. My mom’s just told me that I’m starting right after the holidays.”

“That’s where I’m going, too!” Lulu grinned. “My mom says I’m exactly the right age to join.”

“Me, too!” said Jaminta. “That’s really strange! How about you, Emily?”

“Yes, I’m going, too,” replied Emily. “I’m really excited!”

“Then we’ll all be together!” said Clarabel, squeezing Freya’s hand.

Jaminta sat down heavily on the bed. “But what will we do about being Rescue Princesses? Once we’re busy at the Royal Academy, we won’t be able to leave school to perform rescues all the time. Who will help animals in trouble?”

There was silence while all the princesses thought about this.

“I think,” said Emily slowly, “before we go, we should teach some other girls how to be Rescue Princesses.”

Clarabel nodded. “That way someone can still be around to help animals in danger.”

“But not just any princesses. They have to be brave and kind,” said Jaminta.

“And want to learn acrobatics,” added Lulu.

“Do we know any other princesses like that?” asked Jaminta doubtfully.

There was a swift knock and Emily’s sister, Lottie, poked her head around the door. She was wearing a crimson dress. A crown dotted with rubies perched on top of her tight red curls.

“King Eric says you have to hurry up. They want to start the banquet.” Lottie stared at them, her green eyes wide. “What are you all doing, anyway?”

“Don’t start asking millions of questions!” cried Emily. “It’s a secret!”

“Fine, then! But I’m going to find out one day. Just you wait!” Lottie gave them a determined look before she closed the door.

Freya looked thoughtful. “Maybe you should try telling Lottie about all of this. She might like to have some adventures.”

“You mean tell her our secret?” said Emily, surprised. “But she’s just my annoying sister.”

A floorboard creaked outside in the hallway.

“I think you should tell her, too,” said Clarabel, and the others nodded.

“After all, every girl deserves the chance to be a Rescue Princess,” said Freya.

The door burst open and Lottie fixed her bright green eyes on Freya. “What’s a Rescue Princess?” she asked.

Princess Lottie spun around the bedroom as fast as she could, her red dress swirling. She turned around and around, until she got so dizzy that she collapsed, laughing, on top of the velvet blanket.

“Stop it, Lottie!” exclaimed Princess Emily. “You’re squishing all the things I was just about to pack.”

Lottie yanked a pile of creased clothes out from underneath her. Then she bounced up to peer into the enormous
suitcase that lay next to her on the bed. It was full of dresses, tiaras, and a hairbrush with a diamond-studded handle.

“You can’t fit anything else in there anyway,” she said bluntly. “How much stuff do you need at your Royal School Thingy?”

“The Royal Academy for Princesses,” Emily corrected her. “You have to have clothes for lessons, clothes for parties, clothes for ceremonies, and much more. I’ll need all of these. There’ll be so many special occasions to go to.”

Lottie yawned. “Poor you! It sounds boring. I hope I don’t have to go when I’m older.”

Emily frowned. “It’s important for every princess to learn how to fulfil her duties you know.”

Lottie chuckled. “You sound just like Mom.” She tried out a fancy accent.
“A princess must perform splendid and magnificent duties, like spinning around as many times as she can before she falls over!”
She leapt off the bed and started twirling again.

“Lottie! Stop it!” groaned Emily. Then she sat down on her bed and sighed.

Lottie stopped spinning and landed beside her sister, making the bed wobble.

“I guess I do sound a little bit like Mom,” said Emily. “I still like having fun, though, and I’m going to be seeing all my friends at the academy.”

“I’ll miss you!” Lottie gave her sister a quick hug. “Even though you like to whine!”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Emily grinned. “Even though you squish my clothes!”

Lottie looked at the mirror on the wall, where their reflections sat side by side.

Everybody always said it was easy to
tell that they were sisters, mainly because their hair was exactly the same red color, like a flame. But while Emily’s hair hung over her shoulders in loose waves, Lottie’s was clustered into tight curls. Their eyes were different, too. Lottie’s were a bright sparkling green while Emily’s were a gentler hazel.

Lottie had always wished she was the older one. But now she was glad she wasn’t leaving for school. Emily said the academy would be exciting, but Lottie wasn’t so sure.

“If you’ve left any tiaras behind, can I borrow them while you’re gone?”
asked Lottie, itching to look in Emily’s closet.

But Emily wasn’t listening. She gazed thoughtfully at her sister, twisting a lock of red hair around her finger.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Lottie. “I promise I’ll put the tiaras back. I know I broke that silver one. But that was a long time ago.”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” said Emily slowly. “You know when you heard me and my friends talking about being Rescue Princesses when we were staying in Northernland?”

“Yes, it sounded like a really good game.” Lottie pouted. “And I think you should have let me join from the start.”

“It wasn’t a game at all,” said Emily. “I was just worried that you were too little to know about it.”

“I am NOT little!” Lottie burst out.

“I guess not.” Emily smiled. “Now that you’ve had your birthday, you’re the same age as I was when I first became a Rescue Princess! Jaminta, Clarabel, and Lulu have all sent me their magic rings, so I can explain that part, too.”

“What?” Lottie nearly bounced off the bed. “What magic rings?”

“Hold on! I need to tell you everything from the beginning,” said Emily. “Just listen! And try not to interrupt!”

Lottie frowned, but then decided not to be impatient. After all, she wanted to know what Emily was going to say. “Tell me, then. What’s this Rescue Princesses thing all about?”