ninja moves?” whispered Emily, making Clarabel giggle.
Prince Samuel put the paper back in his pocket and stared hard in their direction.
The princesses froze as he came closer, peering behind red-flowered bushes. Any minute he would reach the path that led to the palm trees and the princesses’ hiding place.
“We have to get to the garden gate,” murmured Clarabel.
The others nodded. With slow, silent steps, they crept past the palm trees and down the slope to the end of the garden. When Prince Samuel’s back was turned, they opened the gate and slipped through. Ahead of them lay the rolling sand dunes and then the wide blue ocean.
Clarabel shut the gate softly and glanced back. Samuel was walking around the palm trees where they’d been hiding. He was bending down to look into the bushes.
Suddenly, the little blue parrot swooped down from the tree above, squawked loudly in Samuel’s ear, and flew away again.
Prince Samuel clutched his head and bolted for the palace as if a gigantic animal were after him.
“Maybe that parrot does know some ninja moves after all,” said Clarabel, and they dashed across the sand dunes, filling the air with laughter.
The princesses ran along the water’s edge, the sand flying beneath their feet.
Behind them lay the island’s harbor, with long rows of fishing boats and royal sailing ships. Miles and miles of golden beach stretched out in front of them.
“I still can’t believe Prince Samuel was scared of a parrot,” said Lulu.
“He doesn’t seem to like animals very much,” replied Clarabel.
“We can’t escape him and Queen Trudy forever,” said Jaminta. “But let’s not go back right away.”
“I know what we can do,” called Emily, running ahead. “Follow me!”
Emily led them away from the ocean, up the hill by the side of the white palace, and into the rain forest. They stopped in a forest clearing, the chattering of birds and insects all around them.
Emily searched the ground and picked up a long coil of rope lying at the bottom of a tree. “Ally gave me this rope for practicing, so I hid it here. She said if we were serious about rescuing animals, we needed to work on our skills.”
Ally was Emily’s maid and the princesses trusted her completely. She’d helped them learn ninja skills when they’d rescued a deer during the spring.
“The rope’s a great idea,” said Lulu. “We can use it to try out some new moves and stuff.”
“You mean we should try some climbing and somersaults? Like the drawings you put in all your letters?” asked Clarabel.
Lulu nodded. “I’ve been practicing acrobatics a lot at home. We need to be ready for anything. One day we might need to rescue a creature at the top of a steep cliff or down a deep hole.”
Clarabel stifled a little shiver. When they’d rescued the deer, the princesses had made a secret promise that they would always help an animal in trouble, no matter how dangerous it was. Clarabel didn’t really like being up high. But how could she say that when the other princesses didn’t seem worried at all?
They had been writing one another letters for weeks discussing what they needed to practice in order to become good at performing rescues.
Each of the princesses had been at home: Clarabel in the cold land of Winteria, Emily in her leafy kingdom of Middingland, Lulu in the hot country of Undala, and Jaminta in the kingdom of Onica, next to the Silver River.
They had been at opposite corners of the world, but none of them had wanted to forget one another. So they had written letters almost every day.
“This branch will be strong enough.” Lulu climbed up the tree and tied the rope firmly halfway along a thick branch. “Who wants to go first?”
“You want to!” said Emily. “Go ahead. Show us what you can do.”
Lulu grinned and grabbed the rope. She swung high from the branch, bending her legs backward and forward. With one final swing she flipped head over heels and landed easily
Prince Samuel put the paper back in his pocket and stared hard in their direction.
The princesses froze as he came closer, peering behind red-flowered bushes. Any minute he would reach the path that led to the palm trees and the princesses’ hiding place.
“We have to get to the garden gate,” murmured Clarabel.
The others nodded. With slow, silent steps, they crept past the palm trees and down the slope to the end of the garden. When Prince Samuel’s back was turned, they opened the gate and slipped through. Ahead of them lay the rolling sand dunes and then the wide blue ocean.
Clarabel shut the gate softly and glanced back. Samuel was walking around the palm trees where they’d been hiding. He was bending down to look into the bushes.
Suddenly, the little blue parrot swooped down from the tree above, squawked loudly in Samuel’s ear, and flew away again.
Prince Samuel clutched his head and bolted for the palace as if a gigantic animal were after him.
“Maybe that parrot does know some ninja moves after all,” said Clarabel, and they dashed across the sand dunes, filling the air with laughter.
The princesses ran along the water’s edge, the sand flying beneath their feet.
Behind them lay the island’s harbor, with long rows of fishing boats and royal sailing ships. Miles and miles of golden beach stretched out in front of them.
“I still can’t believe Prince Samuel was scared of a parrot,” said Lulu.
“He doesn’t seem to like animals very much,” replied Clarabel.
“We can’t escape him and Queen Trudy forever,” said Jaminta. “But let’s not go back right away.”
“I know what we can do,” called Emily, running ahead. “Follow me!”
Emily led them away from the ocean, up the hill by the side of the white palace, and into the rain forest. They stopped in a forest clearing, the chattering of birds and insects all around them.
Emily searched the ground and picked up a long coil of rope lying at the bottom of a tree. “Ally gave me this rope for practicing, so I hid it here. She said if we were serious about rescuing animals, we needed to work on our skills.”
Ally was Emily’s maid and the princesses trusted her completely. She’d helped them learn ninja skills when they’d rescued a deer during the spring.
“The rope’s a great idea,” said Lulu. “We can use it to try out some new moves and stuff.”
“You mean we should try some climbing and somersaults? Like the drawings you put in all your letters?” asked Clarabel.
Lulu nodded. “I’ve been practicing acrobatics a lot at home. We need to be ready for anything. One day we might need to rescue a creature at the top of a steep cliff or down a deep hole.”
Clarabel stifled a little shiver. When they’d rescued the deer, the princesses had made a secret promise that they would always help an animal in trouble, no matter how dangerous it was. Clarabel didn’t really like being up high. But how could she say that when the other princesses didn’t seem worried at all?
They had been writing one another letters for weeks discussing what they needed to practice in order to become good at performing rescues.
Each of the princesses had been at home: Clarabel in the cold land of Winteria, Emily in her leafy kingdom of Middingland, Lulu in the hot country of Undala, and Jaminta in the kingdom of Onica, next to the Silver River.
They had been at opposite corners of the world, but none of them had wanted to forget one another. So they had written letters almost every day.
“This branch will be strong enough.” Lulu climbed up the tree and tied the rope firmly halfway along a thick branch. “Who wants to go first?”
“You want to!” said Emily. “Go ahead. Show us what you can do.”
Lulu grinned and grabbed the rope. She swung high from the branch, bending her legs backward and forward. With one final swing she flipped head over heels and landed easily
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