“Now what do we do?” cried Isabella. “He didn’t understand at all!”
“Silly man!” said Rosalind. “I hate it when people don’t listen.”
Lottie made a face. “There’s no point in getting upset about it. We’ll just have to think of something else.”
“But we can’t tell my aunt,” said Amina anxiously. “She’s so busy with all the guests arriving and she wants everything to be perfect for Rani’s wedding. I don’t want to ruin it all….” She trailed off and stared at the ground, her stomach churning. Everything was going wrong. She didn’t want to upset Queen Keshi but she had to help those little cubs.
“We need to hurry,” insisted Rosalind. “The tiger cubs might be fine now, but what about when night comes? They need their mom to keep them safe from bigger animals.”
Amina twisted her bracelet and the golden-brown stone shimmered. She glanced up and found her friends looking at her. “I think we should go and get the little cubs ourselves,” she said.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” asked Isabella.
“A little, but I know the countryside around here really well, so I can make sure we stay safe.” Amina straightened her shoulders. “Let’s go and find them right now before anyone realizes we’re gone.”
Lottie’s green eyes sparkled. “That’s a great idea, and since they’re small, we’ll be able to carry them back here easily. Then as soon as the tigress is better they can be together again!”
Amina nodded firmly. “It’s time for another adventure!”
The princesses walked quickly back through the palace garden.
“I love adventures!” said Isabella. “But will we be able to get out the palace gate without anyone seeing us?”
“We can use ninja moves!” said Rosalind eagerly.
“They’ll have to be very good ninja moves, because there are guards watching from the palace walls all the time,” said Amina.
The girls stopped near the palace gate and looked doubtfully at the guard standing next to it. There was no way they could get past without him noticing. Just then, Queen Keshi swept through the archway and saw them. “There you are, Princesses! It’s time for you to try on your wedding outfits to make sure that they’re perfect for tomorrow.”
“But, Aunt, we were just going to …” began Amina.
“Quickly now! You do want to look nice, don’t you?” said the queen. “Go and collect your outfits from your bedrooms and then come to the dressing room.”
Reluctantly, the princesses followed her through the courtyard and into the palace.
“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” Lottie whispered to Amina. “I want to search for the tiger cubs right now.”
They went upstairs to collect their things. Amina left her binoculars on her nightstand and took her bridesmaid dress out of the wardrobe. Then she waited in the hallway for her friends and led them to the dressing room.
“Maybe this won’t take too long,” she said hopefully. “Once my aunt leaves, we can change really quickly and get it over with.”
But when they reached the dressing room, Queen Keshi stayed to help them. “I’m very good at sewing, so if your dresses need changing, I can easily help,” she told them. Then she fussed over them forever, measuring their sleeves and checking the size of each dress.
Rosalind began to glare at the queen’s tape measure, as if she was about to say something mean.
Amina, who was worried about what Rosalind might say, tried to think of something to get her aunt’s attention. “Aunt? Did you like the flowers I picked this morning?” she asked.
“Mmm? Yes, they’re very nice, thank you, dear,” said Queen Keshi, looking closely at Isabella’s hem.
“Will they match Rani’s bouquet?” asked Amina. “I hope they don’t clash.”
Her aunt paused. “I hadn’t thought about that! I should go and check them immediately.” She laid her tape measure down on a table. “Hang up your dresses carefully when you’re finished, girls!” She swept from the room.
Lottie folded her arms. “Good! Now that she’s gone, we can plan what we’re going to do.”
“I still don’t see how we’re going to get out of here.” Isabella pointed out the window. “That guard’s still standing by the gate and there are people looking at the view from the wall. Someone’s bound to spot us.”
“That’s why we need ninja moves!” said Rosalind. “I wish we had that lost Book of Ninja!”
“There isn’t time to look for that right now,” said Lottie, causing Rosalind to glare at her.
Amina’s eyes sparkled suddenly. “I know! If we look like people who are supposed to be walking out through the palace gate, then no one will get suspicious when they see us.”
“What do you mean?” asked Isabella. “Who would be going through the gate?”
“Fruit sellers!” Amina ran to the closet in the corner and rummaged around. Then she pulled out a bundle of cotton shawls in bright pinks, greens, and yellows. “These are just like the shawls that the fruit sellers wear. They come up to the palace every day to sell their goods and then they leave again. We could disguise ourselves to look just like them!”
Lottie grabbed a green shawl, swirled it around her shoulders and then wrapped it tightly over her head so that it covered her red curls. “This is great! No one will ever realize it’s us!”
“But we don’t have any fruit,” said Isabella doubtfully.
“They’ve usually sold everything by the time they leave,” said Amina. “So we just need empty baskets and we can borrow those from the kitchen.” She gave a pink shawl to Isabella and found yellow ones for herself and Rosalind.
The princesses hurriedly took off their wedding outfits and tiaras. Then they put their other clothes back on and covered themselves with the shawls as much as they could.
Isabella giggled at her reflection in the mirror. “I think this could work! I don’t recognize myself at all!”
“It’s a good plan,” said Rosalind. “But I still think we need ninja moves, too.”
“We’ll definitely use some later,” promised Amina. “Is everyone ready?”
But just as they were about to go, there was a knock at the door and a small princess with long blond hair walked in.
“Oh!” She stopped and looked confused. “I was told that Princess Amina would be here. Queen Keshi sent me to try on my dress. I’m Princess Samantha.”
“Sorry, my dear! We’re just here to sell fruit!” said Lottie in a fake croaky voice.
“I’m Princess Amina!” Amina took off her yellow shawl. “This shawl is just a disguise.”
“Oh, how funny!” said Princess Samantha with a shy smile. “Are you dressing up for fun?”
Lottie and Rosalind exchanged warning looks.
Amina saw their looks but felt she should tell the truth. “Actually, we have something important to do and that’s why we need them. So please don’t tell anyone about it.”
Princess Samantha looked solemn. “Is it important princess stuff?”
Amina nodded. “We need to save two baby animals!”
“Then I promise I won’t say a word to anybody,” said Samantha. “If someone comes along, I’ll tell them I don’t know where you are. You can trust me, I promise!”
“Thanks!” said Amina.
Princess Samantha smiled. “What kind of animals are you saving?”
“Two little tiger cubs,” Amina told her. “They should be somewhere near the river. Their mother got hurt, so they’re all alone.”
Samantha’s eyes widened. “Real tiger cubs! That’s so exciting. Good luck!”
Amina led the princesses along the winding palace hallways and down the back stairs to the kitchen. She picked up four empty baskets from a pile by the door and gave three of them to the other girls. The kitchen was full of people rushing around and no one noticed four princesses sneaking past.
Amina pulled her shawl tighter around her face. “Be careful when we pass the guards,”
“Oops!” said Lottie, tucking her red curls back under the shawl.
They walked through the garden, hoping that no one would stop them. Amina’s heart raced as they got closer to the back gate.
The guard turned toward them. “Thank you for bringing the fruit, ladies!” he said, opening the gate. “See you again tomorrow.”
“Thank you!” mumbled Amina, pulling her shawl down over her forehead.
The princesses scurried through the wooden gate and the guard closed it behind them.
“We did it!” whispered Isabella.
“Where do we go now, Amina?” asked Lottie.
“This way!” Amina took them along the stony path that led down the valley. Near the bottom, they reached a bridge that arched across the river.
“The tiger cubs were over here in the long grass,” said Amina. “I’ll show you.”
They went along the riverbank, edging around boulders and prickly bushes.
“Is something moving over there?” said Isabella, pointing nervously at a patch of long grass.
“There is something moving — look!” Rosalind tiptoed forward.
Suddenly, a small black and orange shape sprang out of the grass and the tiger cub went bouncing toward the river, chasing after a butterfly. The butterfly got away and the cub landed on the edge of the bank, nearly toppling into the water.
“He’s so small and fluffy!” said Lottie.
Amina smiled. “He’s very cute!”
“Is the other cub there, too?” asked Isabella.
The girls looked at the long grass hopefully, but nothing else came out.
“Let’s catch this one first and then look for the other one,” said Lottie.
“Why don’t I get him?” Amina put down the basket. “If we all rush at him we might scare him away.” She draped the shawl over her shoulders, pushing back her long dark hair.
“See if you can get him to trust you,” advised Lottie.
Amina stepped carefully along the riverbank toward the little cub. His ears pricked up and he looked at her curiously. As she came closer, he backed away, his big eyes full of fright.
Amina stood still. “Oh, don’t run away!” she whispered. “If you come with us, we’ll look after you.”
As she spoke, the cub’s nose twitched, as if he was deciding whether or not she was dangerous. Then he opened his mouth and gave a tiny mew.
“I think he likes you!” murmured Rosalind.
Amina tiptoed a little closer.
The cub watched her carefully, but he didn’t run away.
Noticing a large, smooth rock next to her, Amina sat down on it and held out her hand to the cub. He came forward and sniffed her fingers. His whiskers quivered.
“I’m Amina and these are the Rescue Princesses,” said Amina gently. “We’ll take care of you, I promise!”
The cub mewed a little louder. Then he licked her hand, sprang up onto her lap, and settled down as if it was the most comfortable place in the world. Amina laughed and rubbed his warm stripy fur.
The other princesses came closer to stroke him, too.
“He’s so soft!” said Isabella. “I wish we could keep him!”
“We can’t keep him. He’s still a wild animal,” said Rosalind.
“Why don’t you stay there, Amina?” said Lottie. “We’ll look for the other cub.”
Lottie, Isabella, and Rosalind put their baskets down next to Amina’s rock. Then they crept up and down the river bank, looking into the reed patch and behind the bushes. They surprised a water bird that squawked and flew away, but there was no sign of the other cub.
Amina looked anxiously up at the palace. How long would it be before someone noticed they were gone?
She hoped they’d be able to go back through the gate without anyone getting suspicious.
She jumped as she noticed a figure standing at the top of the wall. The figure was very still. Was somebody watching them?
She shivered. What if someone had realized that they weren’t really fruit sellers? After all, her friends were running up and down the riverbank, and fruit sellers didn’t usually do that!
“Lottie! Isabella! Rosalind!” she called quickly. “Come back!”
The tiger cub began to wriggle in her arms as if he knew how worried she was.
“What’s the matter?” asked Rosalind.
“There’s someone standing at the palace wall and looking this way,” said Amina. “What if they’ve seen us?”
Isabella drew her shawl over her brown curls. “I hope they can’t tell who we are!”
“I’m sure I’ve seen that person before.” Lottie squinted toward the figure. “I recognize her blond hair.”
“Who is it?” asked Amina, her eyes wide.
“It’s that princess we met just now,” said Rosalind.
“Oh! You mean Princess Samantha?” said Amina.
Suddenly, the distant figure waved a long bright pink cloth over her head.
“She’s got a colored shawl like the ones we’re wearing,” said Lottie.
“Why is she waving it?” said Isabella. “I wish she’d stop. If the kings and queens notice what she’s doing, they might look over the wall and see us!”
“There must be a reason why she’s doing it,” said Amina. “It must be an emergency!” The tiger cub squirmed again and tried to jump off her lap.
“We should go back,” said Rosalind. “We can put this cub somewhere safe and return later to find the other one.”
Amina quickly scanned the riverbank. She didn’t want to leave the other cub behind, but she didn’t know where he was!
Up on the palace wall, Princess Samantha waved the pink shawl above her head again.
“She’s definitely trying to tell us something,” said Lottie. “We should go back.”
“All right, then,” said Amina. “But as soon as it’s safe we must come back for the other cub.”
She gently lowered the baby tiger into her basket and covered him up with her shawl. Then the princesses ran back up the path toward the palace.
Amina’s heart pounded as they got closer to the gate. She hoped her aunt hadn’t found out where they were. If Queen Keshi knew she was scrambling through bushes and getting dirty the day before the wedding, she would not be happy!
As the princesses reached the palace entrance, the gate swung open and Princess Samantha stood there, clutching the pink shawl.
“Thank goodness you came back!” she said breathlessly. “I was worried you wouldn’t see me.”
“Where’s the guard?” asked Isabella. “He was just standing here.”
“I threw my hair ribbon in those bushes and asked him to get it for me,” said Samantha. “Come inside quickly, before he comes back!”
The princesses rushed through the gate and Samantha closed it behind them. Then they scurried into the garden and hid behind a square clipped hedge.
Samantha collected her ribbon from the guard and thanked him before she came to join them. “I don’t think he noticed you,” she whispered.
“But why were you waving that shawl?” Rosalind asked her. “If the grown-ups had seen you, we would have been in big trouble.”
“Has something happened?” asked Amina.
“It’s Queen Keshi!” Samantha told her. “She’s looking for all of you. She came upstairs while I was trying on my dress and now she’s checking your rooms.”
There was a scrabbling noise from Amina’s basket and a little black nose and a set of whiskers popped out from under the shawl.
“You did find a tiger cub!” gasped Samantha.
Amina pulled back the shawl and lovingly scratched the cub between his ears. He closed his eyes and mewed happily. “We can’t let my aunt see him until we find the other cub. If she finds out where we went, she’ll send the guards out to search instead of letting us go.”
“The guards would be too noisy,” insisted Amina. “They’d just scare the cub away. Anyway, I don’t want to ruin the wedding celebrations.”
“I think we should find the other cub ourselves,” agreed Lottie.
“Amina! Where are you?” Queen Keshi’s voice rang out across the palace.
“That’s my aunt!” Amina covered the tiger cub with her shawl again and raced through the back door of the palace.
Lottie, Isabella, and Rosalind left their empty baskets by the kitchen before they followed Amina up the stairs. Samantha came last.
Luckily, the corridor was empty. For a moment, Amina thought she heard footsteps but she couldn’t see anyone.
“Did you hear something?” she asked the other princesses with a frown.
Samantha stopped and looked back around the corner. “Henry! What are you doing there?”
A boy stepped out of the shadows and Amina’s heart sank as she recognized Prince Henry, the boy who had been so rude to her that morning.
“Everyone! This is my big brother, Henry,” said Samantha, smiling. “Henry, come and look at this rescued tiger cub. It looks like a big cat.”
Henry’s face crumpled, as if he was about to cry. “I don’t want to see your silly animal,” he said. “Now leave me alone!” He ran away down the corridor.
Samantha put a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear! I forgot —” She broke off as Queen Keshi’s piercing voice floated up the staircase. “The queen’s coming! You go inside and I’ll try to distract her for a moment.”
“Thanks, Samantha!” Amina rushed into her bedroom, and as soon as they were all safely inside, she lifted the little cub out of the basket to give him a hug.
“You’re lovely!” she told him, and he curled up in her arms and purred.
“We need to think of a name for him,” said Lottie, plonking herself down next to Amina and stroking the cub.
“How about Fluffy?” said Isabella.
“That’s not fierce enough for a tiger cub,” replied Rosalind. “I think we should call him Wriggle, because he squirms so much!”
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