Rosa stared at her helplessly and gulped. It all seemed pretty impossible. “I wish I could,” she said. “But I really haven’t got any other ideas.”
“Then Princess Cressida will just have to stay a secret princess forever!” exclaimed Nutmeg, her eyes filling with tears.
“Look, we can’t give up that easily!” Rosa declared. “Hmm, what could we do?” She glanced around. “You know, maybe we don’t need magic to get us into the castle. Maybe we could just sneak inside. We could hide somewhere until the princess comes back then let her out of her room and all escape together!”
“But that would be really dangerous!” said Nutmeg. “King Rat’s guards are very fierce!” She caught her breath. “Here they come now!”
A group of ten mice came swaggering around the side of the castle. Rosa stared. They were walking on their back legs and were way taller than her, with pointed teeth and long swords hanging from their belts.
They stopped. A couple of them leaned against the castle walls, the others mooched about. They looked fed up.
“I’m bored of marching round the castle,“ one of them grumbled.
“Me too,” said another. “My paws are hurting. King Rat’s out at the moment so why don’t we go and have a sit down?”
“Yeah!” said the first mouse. “If we go round to the other side of the castle we can listen out for King Rat coming back and when he gets here just start marching again.” He looked around at the others. “What do you reckon?”
They all nodded. “Good plan!”
“What about the Sergeant?” said one. “If he sees us he’ll go mad.”
The first mouse shrugged. “He’s inside somewhere. Probably in the kitchens stuffing his face. I bet he’ll never notice. Come on!”
They all ambled off around the side of the castle.
Nutmeg shivered. “They’re horrible!”
But Rosa’s mind was racing with what the mice had just said. “Did you hear what they were talking about? King Rat’s out and they are going to take a break. Oh, Nutmeg! Why don’t we try to get into the castle right now?”
“But it’s daytime and Cressida is on the lake.”
“So? We can hide somewhere inside until the sun sets and she comes back. It’s the perfect opportunity. Come on! Let’s see if there’s a door or window open.”
Rosa started to hurry through the trees towards the castle.
“Wait, Rosa!” exclaimed Nutmeg, flying after her. “It’s too dangerous! The guards might change their minds and come back.”
“Then we’d better be as quick as possible,” said Rosa. “It’s now or never!”
“No! I don’t think we should,” Nutmeg insisted. “Look, let’s just stay here for a little while longer and see if we can think of another plan. Come on! I’m going back to the lake.”
She flew back towards the lake. Rosa hesitated. She thought of the poor secret princess. She had to help her! Surely getting into the castle was the only way and while the guards were taking a break it was the perfect opportunity! I’m going to try and get in whether Nutmeg wants to come or not, she decided impulsively. And she began to hurry through the trees.
Rosa’s eyes scanned the castle, but the only windows that were open were right up at the top of the tower. There was a small door to the right of the main entrance. Maybe that would be unlocked?
A short stretch of grass separated the wood and the castle. She took a deep breath and ran across it. Reaching the small door, she turned the handle…locked! Suddenly she heard a sharp voice from around the side of the castle…
“I can’t believe you lot. Get back to patrolling the castle right now! Lying around! Lazing about! Honestly. I can’t trust you for a second! If King Rat catches you he’ll have your guts for garters. Come on! Hup two, hup two!”
There was the sound of general mumbling and grumbling and the stamp of boots heading towards the front of the castle.
Rosa froze to the spot. The guards were coming! She looked round desperately. Where could she hide? There were some giant pots that looked like they had once had plants in them.
Rosa raced to the nearest one and scrambled inside. The bottom was covered with old dry soil and as she landed, it blew up in clouds around her. She could feel a sneeze tickling in her nose…
She covered her face with her hands as the grumbling guards came around the side of the building. Rosa could hear them passing near the plant pot and felt the sneeze building. She pinched her nose but she couldn’t stop it! “A…a…ACHOO!”
“What was that?” the leader’s voice snapped out.
The guards’ footsteps stopped.
“There’s someone hiding!” said the Sergeant. “Find them!”
Rosa huddled down in the bottom of the plant pot, her heart beating painfully against her ribcage. Please don’t look in here, she thought as footsteps echoed around her…
Too late…A pointed face peered over the edge of the plant pot before shrieking out loudly. “Oi, Sarge! I’ve found someone! I’ve found someone!”
“Get them out then, Mangy Tail!”
The flowerpot was tipped over roughly and Rosa tumbled out. She scrambled to her feet, scared, dusty and dishevelled.
“Who are you?” the Sergeant demanded.
“N…no one!” Rosa stammered.
“I bet she’s trying to help that silly princess, Sarge,” said the mouse. “I bet she’s a spy!”
The Sergeant nodded. “Take her to the dungeons!”
“No!” gasped Rosa. But Mangy Tail and another mouse took her by the arms. They were very strong and although she kicked and struggled they had no problem holding on to her.
“Stop your wriggling, Prisoner!” snarled the Sergeant, poking her with the hilt of his sword.
Hastily Rosa did as she was told. She was dragged into the castle and through a big entrance hall before being pushed down a long flight of stairs. The Sergeant clambered round her and opened a heavy door ahead. “In there!” he ordered.
He pushed Rosa hard through the doorway. She fell over and heard a bolt being pushed firmly across the door on the other side.
“You’ll stay there until we tell King Rat about you!” snapped the Sergeant through the door. “Mangy Tail and Whiskers, you guard her.”
“Yes, Sarge!” said two eager voices.
Rosa’s heart sank at the sound of heavy feet traipsing away and the two guards talking in low voices outside the door.
She shivered as she looked around her. The room was very small with no windows.
Rosa bit her lip. How could she have been silly enough to think she could get into the castle so easily? She was trapped!
And what about King Rat? What would he do to her? And how would Nutmeg feel when she realised Rosa was missing? If the fairy had seen her being captured she would be so worried. Rosa felt awful. She had let her new friend down. There she’d gone again, just charging in without thinking.
I should never have headed off like that, she thought in despair. I’ve just made it all worse.
She looked at her shoes, hoping they might sparkle and whisk her away somewhere, but nothing happened. And Nutmeg couldn’t rescue her by magic because she had told Rosa that her magic didn’t work in the castle. If I’m going to get out of here, I’m going to have to get myself out, Rosa realised.
She thought hard. There were guards on the other side of the door but only two.
She went to the door and banged on it.
“Shut up!” snarled a mouse’s voice from the other side of the door.
“If you want food, there isn’t any,” said a higher pitched voice.
Mangy Tail, thought Rosa recognising the guard’s voice from earlier.
“I don’t want food,” she said. “I don’t feel very well.” She started to make sounds as if she was about to be sick as loud as she could. “Yuck!” she heard Whiskers exclaim. “If she’s sick in there I bet we’ll have to clear it up!”
“I just need some fresh air,”
said Rosa, acting for all she was worth. “I’m sure I’ll be fine then but if I don’t get some fresh air I think I’ll be sick EVERYWHERE!”
“Come on, come on, let her out,” said Mangy Tail hurriedly.
Rosa heard the sound of the bolt sliding back and saw the door starting to open. She leaped to one side and crouched down in the shadows, staying as still as possible till the mice stepped into the doorway.
“Where are you?” Whiskers demanded, looking round.
Rosa leaped up, yelling as loudly as she could and the two mice jumped in alarm. Then Rosa charged at them, waving her hands about. It wasn’t exactly a well-thought-out plan but hopefully it would do!
“Whoa!” Whiskers yelled, staggering into Mangy Tail and knocking him over. Rosa leaped lightly over Mangy Tail’s fallen body, landing in perfect balance, before pushing Whiskers with all her might. He tripped over Mangy Tail, and they both rolled into the room.
Rosa slammed the door shut and pushed the bolt across, her fingers trembling. She’d done it! She’d escaped!
The mice started banging on the door and shouting but it was a very thick door and the noise was muffled.
I’m free! Rosa thought. She raced up the stairs. No one was in the main hall. The front door was just opposite her. But just as she was about to make her escape, she saw the big door handle turn and heard a loud voice…
“So the prisoner’s a girl, you say? A girl with red ballet shoes? But not the same girl who has been to Enchantia before?”
“A different one, King Rat. Definitely a different one.”
Rosa ran through a nearby archway. There was a large chest and she ducked behind it.
“Take me to this prisoner then!” she heard King Rat snap.
Peeping out from behind the chest, Rosa saw a black rat with a golden crown on his head and a long purple cloak come marching across the hall. He looked really scary with his red eyes and curling whiskers. She hid back behind the chest as he headed for the steps that led to the room where she had been kept prisoner.
Oh no! As soon as he got there he would realise she had escaped!
She looked all around her. The chest was in a small corridor that seemed to be used for keeping bags of vegetables. Turning, she ran down it, her heart thudding. Any minute now, the guards would get out and come looking for her! What was she going to do?
Rosa didn’t know where she was going, but surely there must be a way out. She hurried down the corridor till she came to a small door in the wall. It looked like the door she had seen earlier from the outside of the castle. Her heart leaped. It was locked but there was a key in it!
She turned the lock and opened the door and now she could see the woods just ahead of her! She ran towards them, faster than she had ever run in her life. With every stride she expected to hear voices shouting to stop and mice running after her but the only sound was of muffled yelling from inside the castle. She had a feeling her escape had just been discovered and the guards were in trouble but she didn’t care. She had got out!
As she entered the woods, Nutmeg flew up to her. “Oh, Rosa! What happened?” The fairy looked scared stiff. “I saw the guards capture you. I didn’t know what to do!”
“I’m really sorry,” Rosa panted. “I was just trying to help the princess. I thought that if only I could get inside I might be able to hide and let her out tonight.”
“It was really brave of you,” Nutmeg said admiringly.
“It was really stupid,” groaned Rosa. “I got locked in a room and I had to escape.” She glanced around. “I think the guards might be after me at any moment.”
“Quick, let’s get out of here!” said Nutmeg. She grabbed Rosa’s hand, waved her wand and spun in a pirouette. Silver and pink sparkles swirled around them and Rosa felt herself spinning round as Nutmeg’s magic whisked them away.
They landed in a quiet clearing in the middle of the woods a safe distance away from the castle.
Rosa breathed out. “Phew!” She still had the key in her hand and her relief at escaping turned into excitement as she realised they now had a way to get into – and out of – the castle. She showed it to Nutmeg. “This opens the small door in the wall. We can use it to help Princess Cressida escape!” The fairy looked puzzled but a plan was already forming in Rosa’s mind. “As soon as the princess comes back to her room, you can run up to the tower and sneak through the door. Then you and the princess can run downstairs and escape back out through the little door. If the guards come I’ll distract them!”
“How?” asked Nutmeg.
“I don’t know,” Rosa admitted.
“Hmmm.” Nutmeg started dancing to the side, her feet crossing over quickly. Rosa recognised that it was a dance from Swan Lake. The fairy moved one way and then the other. “I always think better when I dance!” She spun round and then suddenly stopped, her eyes wide. “I know! I could use my magic to make you look exactly like the princess and teach you a dance she does! If the guards saw you dancing at the edge of the woods it would trick them and they’d run after you – leaving the coast clear.” She frowned. “But it would be really dangerous for you.”
“I don’t mind!” Rosa said bravely.
“It might work. If you could just distract them for a few minutes, Cressida and I could run to the woods and then I could magic us all away,” said Nutmeg.
“Let’s do it!” said Rosa. She looked at the sky. The sun was just starting to set. They had to be quick. “Can you teach me the dance now?”
Nutmeg waved her wand and beautiful music from Swan Lake filled the clearing. “Copy me!” Nutmeg danced three steps forwards before turning three times, one arm above her head, one out to the side. Then she danced on in a big circle, turning with every step until she stopped in an arabesque, one leg held out behind her.
Rosa copied her. It felt wonderful to be dancing outside in the open air. She spun around letting the music flow through her. She didn’t care if she got things a bit wrong; she just lost herself in the wonderful feeling. As she finished, she balanced on one leg.
Nutmeg looked very impressed. “You’re really good at dancing, Rosa!”
Rosa smiled at her. “Thank you!” She felt even braver after the fairy’s praise. “Do you think the mouse guards will have given up looking for me by now?”
“I should think so.” Nutmeg nodded.
“Then let’s go back to the castle!”
Nutmeg’s magic took them to the edge of the forest…just as the sun was setting. The swan princess flapped her her wings and took off from the water.
Rosa watched the bird swoop into the tower. A few minutes later, a girl in a white dress appeared at the window. She had long golden hair and looked sad.
“That’s Cressida,” said Nutmeg. “I’d better make you look like her right away!”
Nutmeg began to dance around Rosa. A tingling started in Rosa’s toes. It spread up her body and down her arms and up through her head. Nutmeg stopped and pointed her wand at her. There was a silver flash. Rosa blinked and gasped. Suddenly she was wearing a white dress. She put her hands to her head. She had a tiara on and her hair was now a deeper gold colour. “Oh, wow,” she gasped. Nutmeg took a small mirror out of the pocket of her tutu and held it up. Rosa stared. Her own face wasn’t looking back at her, but the face of the princess. It was a very weird feeling!
“How long will the magic last?” she asked quickly.
“Not long,” said Nutmeg. “Some fairies in Enchantia can do transformation magic that lasts for hours but I’m still not very good at it. But it should last until Cressida and I escape.” She rose into the air. “Good luck!”
“You too,” called Rosa.
Nutmeg ran as fast as she could to the little door, and with one quick look back at Rosa, she disappeared inside.
Rosa took a deep breath. This was it! Nutmeg would hopefully be letting Princess Cressida out. Oh, hurry up, hurry up, she willed them. Please get out before the guards come!
“Hup two, hup t
wo!”
It was too late. The guards were marching around the building. If Nutmeg and the princess opened the door now they’d be seen for sure!
Rosa didn’t hesitate. Nutmeg and the princess were in danger. She had to help! Lifting her arms, she danced out of the trees…
The two guards at the front of the group stopped so that the guards behind bumped into them. There was a chorus of “oofs” and “ouches” as tails were trodden on and swords tripped over.
“It’s the princess!” the guards in the front shouted as Rosa danced.
Rosa’s heart somersaulted as the guards started charging towards her. She turned and ran into the dark trees.
“STOP!” the guards yelled.
No way, thought Rosa as she ran in and out of the trees, jumping over tree roots and stumps. The ballet shoes seemed to help her, making her feet move more lightly than ever as she twisted and turned on the forest paths. She glanced behind her. The guards were getting closer!
But Cressida and Nutmeg were also running across the grass towards the trees, aiming for a spot far to the right. Luckily the guards were so busy chasing Rosa that they didn’t look behind them. They raced after her.
Rosa headed in the direction that Nutmeg and Cressida were going but as she did so, she realised there was a wall of trees and bushes in front of her. There was no way through. She was trapped!
“We’ve got her!” screeched Mangy Tail.
Rosa turned around as the guards skidded to a halt behind her. They formed a semi-circle, swords pointing at her. She backed up until she was pressed against the trees.
“Come on, Princess,” snarled Whiskers through the dusk. “I don’t know how you escaped but you’re coming back to the castle with us right now before King Rat finds out…” He blinked. Rosa felt herself tingling all over and glanced down. The magic was wearing off!
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