Rescue Princesses #4: The Stolen Crystals (7 page)

Princess Freya sped across the crisp snow in her thick furry boots. Her blond braids bounced on her shoulders and her blue eyes shone brightly.

She ran through the gate at the end of the castle garden and closed it behind her. Then she stopped for a moment to gaze down the hill at the newly made ice rink at the bottom. Fresh snow had fallen in the night and the sunshine was making everything sparkle.

A group of princes raced out of the gray stone castle behind her and began throwing snowballs at one another. Freya swung around to watch them. It was strange seeing her castle so busy and noisy when it was usually so quiet.

Her dad, King Eric, had invited all the royal families from around the world to come and spend the winter holidays here in the kingdom of Northernland. The ice rink had been dug out and smoothed over especially for everyone to skate on. The guests had arrived yesterday, and now the castle was crammed with kings, queens, princes, and princesses.

Freya took a few steps down the hill, thinking about the other princesses. She had been longing to meet some girls her own age for what seemed like forever. She’d seen four princesses slip out the door after breakfast. They had run off laughing together and she had desperately wanted to join them. But where had they gone?

The sound of giggling floated over to her on the frosty air. Freya hurried down the slope and through a cluster of fir trees, trying to see where the noise was coming from. When she reached the other side of the trees, she saw the girls right away.

Four princesses, wearing thick coats, woolen scarves, and gloves, were pulling a wooden sled up the hill. When they reached the top, a girl with wavy black hair sat down on the sled and the others gave her a huge push.

The princess on the sled zoomed away with a shout of delight. Halfway down the hill, she jumped on top of the sled and glided the rest of the way standing on one leg. Freya’s eyes widened. She’d never seen somebody do such a daring trick before!

The black-haired princess jumped off at the bottom of the slope, and the others ran down to help her pull the sled back up. A princess with red curls noticed Freya and waved.

“Hello!” called the red-haired princess. “Would you like to come and try?”

Freya blushed and ran over. “Thanks! That’s really nice of you!”

“It’s not really
that
nice!” The princess laughed. “We borrowed this sled from the castle. So it’s really yours! I’m Princess Emily, by the way.”

“And I’m Lulu,” said the black-haired princess. “This is Jaminta.” She pointed at a girl with smooth dark hair. “And that’s Clarabel.” She pointed at a girl with golden hair.

“Hello,” said Jaminta and Clarabel, smiling widely.

“I’m Freya,” said Freya shyly. “I’m so pleased that you’ve all come to stay. I’ve wanted to meet some other princesses for a long time.”

“Didn’t you come to the Mistberg Grand Ball last year?” asked Lulu, looking at Freya curiously.

Freya shook her head. “My dad likes to stay here at home in Northernland.”

“Well, I think it’s wonderful here in the snow.” Emily smiled at her. “Would you like the next turn on the sled?”

Freya beamed back. “Yes, please!”

The five princesses grabbed the rope and pulled the sled up to the top of the hill. Then Freya got the sled into position and climbed on.

“Try going down backward,” cried Lulu, jumping up and down. “It’s really fun!”

Text copyright © 2012 by Paula Harrison

Interior illustrations copyright © 2012 by Artful Doodlers

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Nosy Crow Ltd.

SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. NOSY CROW and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.

First printing, August 2013

Cover art by Sharon Tancredi

Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll

e-ISBN 978-0-545-50930-5

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