Chapter One
The Animal-Mad Princess
Bea raced across the royal garden with a mouse-shaped kite in her hand. Its pink ears fluttered and its ribbon tail waved in the breeze. Her younger brother, Alfie, ran after her, holding a dinosaur kite over his head.
The round golden towers of Ruby Palace gleamed in the sunshine behind them, and little puffs of white cloud were sailing across the bright blue sky. It was perfect weather for kite flying!
“Wait for us, please, Princess Beatrice,” called Mr. Wells, the royal tutor, walking down the path with Natasha, Bea’s older sister.
Nine-year-old Bea was the middle child of the three royal children. Their mother had died from a fever when Alfie was tiny, so they lived at Ruby Palace with their father, King George, and all the royal servants. Most mornings were spent in lessons with Mr. Wells in the palace schoolroom, but today they were having a special trip to the Savara Kite Festival.
Bea reached the palace gate and tapped her foot impatiently. Mr. Wells and Natasha were walking so slowly! Jenny, one of the palace maids, was following them with a picnic basket full of goodies for lunch.
Climbing onto the gate, Bea gazed down the hill at the town. Savara was a large cluster of shops and houses, beside a long, sandy beach edged with palm trees. The harbor next to the beach was full of colorful fishing boats.
Everything looked very small from the top of the hill. There were rows of little red rooftops, a green square, which was the park, and streets full of tiny people. Beyond that was the sea, sparkling like diamonds.
Posters about the Savara Kite Festival had been hanging up in the town for weeks. The festival was starting at eleven o’clock, and there would be a prize for the best kite flying and for the most interesting homemade kite.
Bea had built her kite in the shape of a giant mouse, with whiskers made from drinking straws and a brown ribbon tail. The kite looked like Fluff, the mouse she kept under her bed. Bea was animal-mad and loved every creature she met, from squirrels to ladybugs. But every time she begged her dad to let her have a pet, his answer was always the same: I’m sorry, Beatrice, but the royal palace is no place for a pet.
So Bea had begun secretly looking after any animal that needed her help. She’d rescued Fluff from a lonely hole behind the piano in the dining room, and now he slept in a cardboard box under her bed. She’d saved Crinkly the spider before the housekeeper could reach him with her broom. She’d also built a nest in the garden shed for some doves whose tree had blown down in a storm.
Bea loved Fluff and Crinkly, but she still longed for more pets. She wished she had a gorgeous furry rabbit or a beautiful pony with a soft white mane.
Sometimes she talked to Alfie about the animals she rescued, but she never told Natasha. Her sister loved being in charge and never broke royal rules. If she heard about Bea’s animals, she might tell Mrs. Stickler. The royal housekeeper hated anything that caused a mess and was sure to banish any creature from the palace immediately.
“Look, Bea!” Alfie pointed to a dragon kite gliding in the distance. The sunlight glinted on its bright red scales and spiky tail.
“They’ve started the festival!” Bea yanked the gate open. “Mr. Wells, can we meet you at the bottom of the hill?”
“All right,” the teacher replied. “But be careful not to slip and…”
Bea raced through the gate, missing the rest of her teacher’s words. The wind whistled in her ears, and Alfie’s feet thudded on the path behind her. They passed street after street until they reached the park, which was full of kites and people.
A gray-haired lady with a clipboard stopped them just inside the park gate. “Hello, I’m Mrs. Brown, and I’m running the festival. Could I have your names, please, and a brief description of your kites?”
“I’m Bea, and this is Fluff the giant mouse,” said Bea, holding out her kite.
“I’m Alfie, and this is Mr. Triceratops. Rahhh!” Alfie shook his kite as he roared.
Jenny hurried up behind them with the picnic basket. “Actually, that should be Princess Beatrice and Prince Alfred,” she told Mrs. Brown. “And Princess Natasha will be here in just a moment.”
Mrs. Brown peered at Alfie and Bea. “Your Royal Highnesses! I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Bea watched eagerly as the dragon kite soared over their heads. “Can we start flying our kites now?”
“Of course you can! Just find an open space so that your kite doesn’t get tangled with any others.” Mrs. Brown turned to Natasha as she walked primly through the park gate. “Good morning, Princess Natasha. Are you flying a kite, too?”
“No, but I’d love to help with the judging.” Natasha’s eyes gleamed.
“Oh! Well, I don’t see why not,” said Mrs. Brown. “Mr. Patel from the bakery is our official judge, but I’m sure he’d love some help.”
“I think I’ll be really good at it!” said Natasha. “Can I borrow a clipboard so I can make some notes?”
Bea looked for somewhere to fly her kite, but every time she found an empty space, another kite swooped past. At last she found a place at the edge of the park and unwound her kite string. After waiting for a strong gust of wind, she tossed her mouse kite into the air. It hung there for a moment, its whiskers quivering. Then the breeze caught it and it soared into the sky.
Bea let the string out gently and then tugged it to help the kite catch the wind again. The mouse kite was flying!
A seagull glided past, flying toward the harbor. Bea heard shouts and laughter all around her, but she never took her eyes off her kite. It would be amazing if she could make it loop the loop. She had once seen a kite flier do awesome stunts with their kite, and she wanted to try that, too.
She’d decided to be brave and try when a huge gust of wind blew in from the sea. The gust took hold of Bea’s kite, tugging it along. Bea hung on to the string, and she was dragged along, too. The kite spiraled around and around like water going down a drain. Then it twisted sideways and blew straight into a tree.
“Bother!” cried Bea, tugging on the string.
The kite was wedged between two branches. Bea pulled again, but nothing happened, so she stopped, afraid she might break the string. The tree had plenty of low branches, so she could just climb up and grab it. But what if Mr. Wells got upset when he saw her scrambling up a tree?
She glanced around. Mr. Wells was watching the dragon kite with Natasha, who was busy scribbling notes on her clipboard. Bea climbed the tree swiftly and took hold of the kite. When it still wouldn’t move, she clambered a little higher, hoping to free the kite without tearing the cloth. A gust of wind rocked the tree, and Bea held on tight. Branches creaked, and the leaves over her head rustled.
The gust of wind faded, but the leaves above her kept on rustling. Bea looked up just as a little furry face with big green eyes popped out from between the branches. It was a tiny kitten with beautiful stripy orange fur. The kitten meowed sadly, its gaze fixed on Bea.
“Oh, hello, kitten! What are you doing up here?” asked Bea in surprise. “Are you stuck?”
The kitten gave a tiny, shaky meow. Another blast of wind hit the tree, and the branches swung wildly. The kitten crouched low, staring around with wide eyes. Its tiny claws gripped tightly to a branch.
A cold prickle ran down Bea’s back. She had to get the little cat to safety! The wind was growing stronger, and the kitten was in terrible danger.
Text copyright © 2019 by Paula Harrison. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Olivia Chin Mueller
