After one last sip of peach juice, Clarabel stepped off the veranda of the white palace onto a lawn that swept down to a clear turquoise ocean.
Her golden hair flew out behind her in the sea breeze and the sapphire ring on her finger sparkled in the sunshine.
She loved staying here on the tropical island of Ampali. It was so much warmer than her home in the kingdom of Winteria, where snow lay on the ground for most of the year.
The little blue parrot flew up to perch on her shoulder.
“Finished breakfast already?” asked Clarabel.
“Squawk!” went the parrot.
Clarabel laughed and turned her eyes back to the ocean. In the distance, a row of small ships with snowy sails was practicing for the Royal Regatta, which was happening in two days’ time.
The regatta was a sailboat race and all twenty royal families from around the world had been invited to take part. Clarabel knew her father, the king of Winteria, was down at the harbor right now, watching his crew sail.
Quick footsteps sounded behind her. Three princesses came racing out of the white-walled palace, laughing as they ran. Their light summer dresses seemed to float around them.
Princess Emily had red hair and a ruby ring, Jaminta had smooth dark hair and an emerald ring, and Lulu’s hair was wavy and black and she wore a ring of yellow topaz.
Clarabel’s heart lifted as they came closer. She’d met them all at a Grand Ball in the springtime. They had worked as a team to save the deer of Mistberg Forest and had become close friends at the same time. The best thing about coming to Ampali Island was seeing one another again.
“Run, Clarabel, run!” cried Lulu, her eyes sparkling.
The little blue parrot squawked and flew off Clarabel’s shoulder in alarm.
Emily grabbed Clarabel’s hand and whirled her away to hide behind a row of palm trees that lined the edge of the garden.
“What’s going on?” asked Clarabel, trying to catch her breath.
Emily covered her mouth to stop her giggles, her red curls falling around her face.
“We’re making sure Prince Samuel doesn’t see us,” said Jaminta. “Queen Trudy decided that we should knit some kind of teapot covers for the Royal Regatta, so she sent him to find us and tell us to come inside.”
“Teapot covers?” said Clarabel, astonished. “You must mean tea cozies. We’re supposed to be making the flower garlands, aren’t we?”
“I think Queen Trudy just wants to stop us from having any fun,” whispered Emily. “I don’t mind making the flower garlands because those will look great on the marquee, but there’s no way I’m knitting those teapot things.”
“I bet she wants to make us sit still all day. That’s what she thinks princesses should do,” said Lulu.
“Shh! Here comes Samuel,” hissed Jaminta. “Remember your ninja moves, everyone.”
The four princesses ducked down. Clarabel silently went through her ninja training in her mind. Blend in with your surroundings. Wait for the right time to move. The princesses had practiced a few ninja moves in the springtime, but there was so much more to learn.
A scrawny boy with a sulky expression stepped down off the veranda. “I can’t see them, Mother,” he called back. “They’re gone.”
Slyly, he looked around him before taking a piece of paper out of his pocket. He unfolded it and held it up to the sunlight. Even from a distance, the paper looked old and frayed at the edges.
Text copyright © 2012 by Paula Harrison
Interior illustrations copyright © 2012 by Artful Doodlers
Cover art by Sharon Tancredi
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Nosy Crow Ltd.
SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. NOSY CROW and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.
First printing, June 2013
e-ISBN 978-0-545-50926-8
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
The Rescue Princesses #1: Secret Promise Page 5