The Enchanted Ruby
Page 5
“Happy birthday!” said Bailey, shyly.
“Thank you!” Scarlett smiled. “Cook, do you think we could all have some of the cake right now?”
Queen Ruth came outside, carrying a vase of roses for the table. “No, of course you can’t! We’re saving it till the end of lunch.” She looked at the table and smiled. “Thank you for helping to get everything ready, girls. Now, hurry along and get changed. You can’t attend a royal birthday party in muddy T-shirts and leggings!”
“I wish I could!” sighed Scarlett as they went inside. “I much prefer leggings, and my tiara always digs into my head.” She rushed to her bedroom and put the enchanted ruby safely in a drawer. Then she pulled on her best dress – the green one with the velvet ribbon – before adding her emerald tiara.
Lily knocked on the door and came in wearing a long blue dress with a silver tiara on top of her blonde hair.
Scarlett’s eyes lit up when she saw the parcel wrapped in pink paper under Lily’s arm. “Is that for me?”
Lily nodded and grinned.
Zina came in wearing a pretty white dress and a diamond tiara. “I’ve got a present for you too, Scarlett.” She handed Scarlett a parcel and smiled shyly.
“Thank you!” Scarlett pulled the wrapping paper off Zina’s present to reveal a silver box labelled Make Your Own Rings Set. Inside was a handful of silver and gold rings.
“It’s for making your own rings and decorating them,” explained Zina.
“Thank you!” Scarlett beamed. “I love making things.”
“And here’s my present!” Lily handed Scarlett her parcel.
Scarlett tore open the paper to find a collection of different jewels gathered together in a blue silk scarf. The gems glittered against the cloth like multicoloured stars. “Wow, they’re beautiful!”
“Zina told me about the Make Your Own Rings Set she was giving you,” said Lily. “So I persuaded my mum that we should give you these. You do like them, don’t you?”
“I love them!” Scarlett hugged her friends. “Now I can make our magic Rescue Princesses rings. We can use them to call each other if there’s an animal in trouble.”
“Scarlett, come down!” Queen Ruth called up the stairs. “We’re ready for your birthday lunch.”
“That’s my mum!” Scarlett jumped up. “We’d better go.”
The princesses hurried downstairs, giggling, and headed out into the garden for the special feast.
“This is the best birthday ever!” said Scarlett. “I can’t wait for our next Rescue Princesses adventure!”
Princess Emily leaned right out of the carriage window, trying to get her first glimpse of the famous castle of Mistberg forest.
She’d waited nine years for her chance to visit and she couldn’t wait a second longer. The forest air swept over her, sending her crown slipping sideways and her red curls flapping.
“Emily! Please don’t push your head out of the window in that manner. It doesn’t look very graceful,” said her mum, straightening her own crown.
Princess Emily took one last look, then reluctantly drew her head back in. “You should have let me drive. I could have gone much faster than this.”
Her dad’s mouth twitched into a smile.
“The aim is to arrive in royal style,” said her mum. “Not to shoot along like a racing car.”
Emily resisted saying that racing would be more fun. Her mum and dad were the King and Queen of Middingland and they always knew the correct way to do things.
They had flown across the sea from Middingland that morning in the royal jet. Then they had ridden from the airfield in a carriage, because everyone arrived at the Mistberg Grand Ball by horse and carriage. The Ball took place at King Gudland’s castle every spring and was one of the biggest events of the season.
The scent of pine trees filled the carriage and Emily caught a flash of movement as a deer ran deeper into the forest. The horses pulling the carriage slowed down to a walk as they passed between a pair of gigantic golden gates.
The call of a peacock echoed across the grass. Emily held her breath. They must be inside the grounds of the castle! She stuck her head out of the window again, her heart drumming with excitement.
“Now, when we get inside we have a dress fitting at two o’clock,” said the queen. “And you will remember to brush your hair, won’t you? It’s gone a bit wild in the breeze.”
But Emily wasn’t thinking about brushing her hair. Above her towered the round turrets of King Gudland’s castle, stretching up to the sky.
Usually her little sister would have nudged her out of the way, but Lottie was staying with their cousins to recover from a bout of chickenpox, so for once, Emily had a perfect view.
The castle was much more magnificent than their palace in Middingland and she had three whole days to explore it.
A short, white-haired man hurried down the flight of steps as the carriage drew to a halt.
“Philip! Maria! How lovely to see you!” he exclaimed.
“Hermann, how are you?” said Emily’s mum, stepping gracefully down from the carriage. She turned to her daughter. “Emily, I’d like you to meet King Gudland.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Princess,” said King Gudland.
Emily made a curtsy. She instantly liked the small man with his twinkly eyes. She hoped all the other kings and queens were as friendly as he was.
The purpose of the Mistberg Grand Ball was for young princes and princesses, aged nine or older, to present themselves to the twenty royal families from around the world.
Emily had never been before because her parents had been so busy with their royal duties at home in the kingdom of Middingland. But this year was different; Emily was now old enough to take part in the ceremony.
In three days’ time she would have to curtsy in front of each and every king and queen, and she was already a little nervous.
“Come this way, Your Majesties,” said King Gudland, and he led them through an enormous hallway full of people hurrying around with suitcases.
They climbed up five spiralling staircases watched by the solemn pictures of King Gudland’s ancestors. When they reached the top the king waved his hand towards three wooden doors.
“This is the West Tower, with my very comfiest rooms,” he said. “The banquet begins at six o’clock. Don’t be late!” And he gave Emily another twinkly smile before stepping back down the staircase.
“That’s your room, Emily,” said her mum, pointing to the first door. “Meet me in the dressmaking suite in half an hour. It’s two staircases down and then turn right. You can’t miss it.”
Emily nodded, pushed her door open and took her first look at her room. A four-poster bed filled one corner and a soft, velvety sofa sat in the other. But Emily was drawn to the window, and when she got closer she realised that she was very near the top of the tower.
Everything on the ground looked tiny. She could see the stables for King Gudland’s horses and a set of obstacles that looked like a huge adventure playground.
As she stared down, another carriage drew up in front of the castle and a girl dressed in green climbed out.
Emily watched her eagerly. She was looking forward to meeting some more princesses of her own age. Life at home in her palace in Middingland was great, but there was only her little sister to play with.
Suddenly Emily looked at her watch. Half an hour had flown by while she was daydreaming at the window. She was supposed to be in the dressmaking suite with her mum right now!
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2018 by Nosy Crow Ltd
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Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text © Paula Harrison, 2018
Cover illustration © Sharon Tancredi, 2018
Interior illustrations © Artful Doodlers, 2018
The right of Paula Harrison to
be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
All rights reserved
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