The Emerald Princess Plays a Trick Read online

  For Marie Mathay and her princess, Lily

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  1. Emily the Court Jester

  2. Roxanne Sees Red

  3. Staghorn Is Hurt!

  4. Hurry to Nana Woodbine

  5. Teeny-Tiny Princess

  6. Back to the Twisted Vines

  7. Trapped!

  8. The Last Laugh

  Sneak Peek

  About the Authors

  The Jewel Kingdom Series

  Copyright

  Princess Emily slowly peeked around the trunk of the big elm tree. From where she hid, she could see Staghorn, the palace gardener. He was trimming the mulberry bushes that lined the path to her home in the Greenwood.

  “Watch this,” Emily whispered to her friend Arden, who stood a few feet behind her. “This is going to be so funny!”

  Staghorn aimed his clippers at a small bush. Just as he snapped them shut, Emily tugged on the string she was holding. The bush leaped away from the dwarf.

  “Hey!” Staghorn cried, nearly falling backward. “What’s going on?”

  Emily covered her mouth. Her green eyes sparkled. Her red hair shook with laughter.

  Staghorn adjusted the glasses perched on the end of his nose. “My eyes must be playing tricks on me,” he muttered.

  He opened his clippers again, leaned toward the bush, and snapped the blades together.

  Emily tugged on the string once more. The bush sprang in the air.

  “Whoa!” Staghorn fell forward.

  Emily couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing.

  “Hey!” Staghorn shouted, rubbing his nose. “What’s so funny?”

  Emily danced out from behind the tree.

  Staghorn’s face turned a bright red. “Princess Emily!” he cried. “I didn’t see you.”

  “Of course not, Staghorn,” Emily said with a giggle. She gave him a big hug. “I was hiding.”

  His furry eyebrows met in a frown. “Then it was you who made the bush hop away from me?”

  “Yes!” Emily showed him the string she’d attached to the bush. “Wasn’t that funny?”

  Staghorn stared up at the Emerald Princess for a long time. “Yes, Princess,” he said finally. “It was very funny.”

  Emily pointed at him. “You should have seen the look on your face when the bush leaped in the air.”

  “I’m sure I looked very surprised,” Staghorn said, brushing off the knees of his brown trousers.

  “You looked positively silly!” Emily declared.

  “I’m glad I made you laugh.” Staghorn gestured down the path. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I had better get on with my work. I have to do some pruning in the Twisted Vines.”

  Emily hugged the little man once more. “Thank you, my dear Staghorn. You are a very good sport!”

  She watched the dwarf hurry off into the trees. The she turned to Arden. “Wasn’t that fun?”

  The beautiful white unicorn blinked her brown eyes. “I think it may have been fun for you. But I’m not so sure about Mr. Staghorn.”

  “Oh, he loves tricks,” Emily said, picking a tiny bluebell and braiding it into Arden’s mane. “Staghorn is like a grandfather to me. I’ve been teasing him since I was a little girl at the Jewel Palace.”

  Emily and her three cousins grew up in the Jewel Palace. It sat at the heart of the Jewel Kingdom.

  “Did you see his face?” Arden asked.

  Emily shrugged. “Staghorn always looks a little grumpy. That’s why he’s so much fun to play tricks on.”

  A bell chimed high above them. It came from the Emerald Palace, a magnificent tree house held up by six huge cedar trees.

  On the tip of one of the pinecone-covered turrets was a carved wooden clock. Emily had been given the clock by the people of the Greenwood when she was crowned the Emerald Princess.

  Ding-ding-ding!

  The clock chimed again.

  “Did you hear that, Arden?” Emily asked. “It must be noon.”

  Arden turned her head. “Weren’t you supposed to meet Princess Roxanne now?”

  Emily’s big green eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her hand. “I almost forgot! We’re supposed to meet at the edge of the Greenwood.”

  Princess Roxanne was the Ruby Princess, and she lived high in the Red Mountains. Roxanne had been visiting Demetra, the Diamond Princess. Demetra was the oldest cousin. She ruled the White Winterland.

  “Arden, would you mind giving me a ride?” Emily asked. “We’ll reach the border much quicker that way.”

  “Hop on, Princess.” Arden ducked her head and bent one knee.

  Emily hiked up her green velvet skirt and climbed onto the unicorn’s back.

  “I have a special surprise for my cousin.” Princess Emily patted the small package she held in her lap. “But I need to be at the border before Princess Roxanne.”

  “Surprise?” Arden asked as she cantered beneath the rustling leaves of the Greenwood. “What is it?”

  Emily bent close to the unicorn’s ear and whispered, “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” She patted her friend’s neck. “Now, let’s hurry, please!”

  Arden broke into a gallop. She leaped lightly over a fallen log, then ducked under a low-hanging branch.

  Emily threw her head back and flung her arms out to the sides. “What a wonderful day!”

  Ahead, they could see bright light where the Greenwood ended and the Rushing River began.

  “Head for that big gray rock by the river,” Emily cried as they burst out of the woods.

  “What are we going to do there?” Arden asked.

  “Not we,” Emily said, jumping off Arden’s back. “Me.”

  The princess unwrapped the bundle she’d been carrying and pulled out a black hooded cape. “Keep a lookout for Princess Roxanne, will you?”

  The unicorn looked toward a dark line of trees cutting across the meadow. “I think I see her,” Arden announced. “Coming out of the Mysterious Forest.”

  “Perfect.” Emily slipped the hooded cape over her head. She darted behind the big rock. “Now hide yourself, Arden. I’m going to give my cousin the surprise of her life.”

  “But Princess …,” Arden started to say.

  Emily put one finger to her lips and pointed toward another rock across the clearing. Arden obediently trotted out of sight.

  The Ruby Princess was hard to miss. Roxanne wore a red satin dress that flashed in the afternoon sun. A tiara with one gleaming ruby rested on top of her long dark hair. And on her arm she wore a bright red–and–silver shield.

  Roxanne paused on the bank of the Rushing River and squinted toward the Greenwood.

  “Not yet,” Emily whispered to herself. “Wait. Wait …”

  Roxanne hopped across the Rushing River, following a path of smooth gray stones.

  “Here she comes!” Emily giggled.

  Roxanne stopped to squeeze the water out of the hem of her dress.

  “Almost.” Emily bent her knees.

  Roxanne took two steps forward.

  Emily raised her hands above her head.

  Roxanne turned.

  “Boo!” Emily shouted.

  “You scared me!” Princess Roxanne cried, once she realized it was Emily hiding beneath the cape.

  “I know!” Tears of laughter rolled down Princess Emily’s cheeks. “You screamed so loudly, you nearly scared me!”

  Roxanne usually enjoyed a good joke. But this was not funny. Her dark eyes flashed, and she stomped one foot. “Emily, stop laughing right now!”

  That only made Emily laugh harder.

  “I was really scared,” the Ruby Princess went on. “I thought you were a Dreadling.”

  Emily slapped her knee. “Isn’t that funny?”

  “There is nothing funny about Dreadlings,” Roxanne said, glaring at her cousin. “They are our worst enemies.”

  The Dreadlings and their ruler, Lord Bleak, had been banished from the Jewel Kingdom years before. They now lived far away across the Dismal Sea.

  “It is a terrible sign when a Dreadling appears in our land,” Roxanne continued. “As a princess of the Jewel Kingdom you should understand that.”

  “I do,” Emily said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “But we can’t worry about them all the time. We should be able to have some fun.”

  “Scaring people is not my idea of fun,” Roxanne declared.

  “Oh, come on!” Emily swatted playfully at her cousin’s shoulder. “Don’t be a stick-in-the-mud. I play tricks on my friends in the Greenwood all the time. They love it.”

  Roxanne arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course. Just ask Arden.” Emily pointed to the unicorn, who stepped out from behind the other rock. “She’ll tell you.”

  “Arden!” Roxanne cried happily. “I’m so glad you’ re here.”

  The unicorn bowed. “Hello, Princess Roxanne. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

  “My cousin and I are having a discussion,” Roxanne explained. “She says the tricks she plays on everyone are funny. What do you think, Arden?”

  Arden ducked her head and studied a small circle of pansies at her feet. “Well …”

  “Be honest!” Roxanne said.

  “I think practical jokes are only funny to the people who play them,” Arden finally said.

  Roxanne put her hands on her hips and faced Emily. “See?”

  Emily
waved one hand. “That’s just Arden. She’s too sensitive.”

  Arden blinked her eyes patiently.

  Emily hopped onto a moss-covered log and carefully walked the entire length of it. “Why are you in such a bad mood today?”

  “You put me in a bad mood,” Roxanne replied.

  “Too bad,” Emily said, spinning to face her cousin. “You know, I had planned a very fun afternoon for us.”

  “Doing what?” Princess Roxanne asked.

  “First we were going to visit the fairies. They’re making a cradle out of a walnut shell for Ivy’s new baby.”

  “The baby has lavender eyes,” Arden told Roxanne. “She’s a beautiful fairy child.”

  Emily perched on a thick root. “Then we were going to have dewberry tea at the Emerald Palace. And after that, we were going to go for a swim at Looking-Glass Pond.”

  “Were?” Roxanne repeated.

  Emily sighed dramatically and tilted her nose up to the sky. “Now I’m not sure we should do any of those things. You are being such a grump.”

  “Grump!” Roxanne’s jaw dropped open. “Emily, that’s a very mean thing to say.”

  Emily shrugged. “I’m just being honest.”

  “No,” Roxanne replied. “You’re being impossible!”

  Emily nearly fell off her log. “What?”

  “And selfish!” Roxanne marched up to the log and put her face close to Emily’s. “And I don’t feel like spending another second with you!”

  With a brisk nod to Arden, Roxanne turned and marched out of the Greenwood.

  “Roxanne!” Emily cried, trying to get her balance. “Where are you going?”

  “To Blue Lake,” Roxanne shouted over her shoulder. “To see Sabrina. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see me.”

  Sabrina, the Sapphire Princess, was the fourth Jewel Princess. She lived across from the Greenwood in Blue Lake.

  “Roxanne, please wait!” Emily leaped off the log and ran to follow her cousin. “I was just kidding. I’m happy to see you. Come back!”

  Princess Roxanne didn’t even turn around. She marched straight across the Rushing River and kept going until she reached the edge of the Mysterious Forest. Then she turned and looked back at Emily and Arden.

  “What’s she doing?” Emily murmured.

  Roxanne slowly raised the red-and-silver shield fastened to her left arm. She murmured a few words and vanished.

  “Did you see that?” Emily gasped. “Roxanne used her magic shield so I wouldn’t be able to see her. Why would she do—?”

  “Princess!” a new voice called.

  Emily turned and watched as a young man stumbled out of the Greenwood. He wore a leather vest and carried an axe. It was Crosscut, the young woodsman.

  “Princess,” Crosscut cried. “Come quickly. Staghorn is hurt.”

  “Staghorn the gardener?” Emily asked. “But I just saw him a short while ago. He said he was off to prune the Twisted Vines.”

  “Something went wrong,” Crosscut explained. “He got caught in a trap in the Twisted Vines, and now he’s in great pain. Please come quickly.”

  This was very serious.

  “Thank you for telling me, Crosscut,” Emily declared. “We’ll go to him at once.”

  When they reached the Twisted Vines, Crosscut took Princess Emily and Arden to Staghorn. He was lying on his back beside the Babbling Brook. A fairy named Hazelnut was tending to his leg.

  “Staghorn!” Emily cried, kneeling beside the dwarf. “Where does it hurt?”

  Staghorn turned his head away.

  “It’s his ankle,” Hazelnut replied. “I think it’s broken.”

  “Oh dear!” Emily stood up. “We must get him to the Emerald Palace immediately.”

  “No!” Staghorn cried out. “Not the palace. I want to go see Nana Woodbine.”

  Nana was famous all over the Greenwood for her healing powers. She lived in a tiny cottage at the Heart of the Wood. Her mother had been half-fairy, half–wood sprite, and her father was a wizard.

  “Nana is the perfect person to call,” Emily told Hazelnut. “Let’s bring Staghorn to my palace, and we’ll send for Nana Woodbine.”

  “No!” Staghorn cried again. “I don’t want to go to the palace.”

  “Go to Nana Woodbine’s,” Hazelnut said, fluttering above Staghorn’s head. “You’ll be safe there.”

  “Please, help me up!” Staghorn said, gesturing to Crosscut, the young woodsman.

  Emily bent to help, but Staghorn shook her off. Crosscut gave the princess an apologetic shrug and helped Staghorn to his feet.

  “How did Staghorn get hurt?” Emily asked Hazelnut as Crosscut helped the dwarf limp away from them toward Nana Woodbine’s cottage.

  “Why do I need to tell you?” Hazelnut said rudely. Her wings buzzed as she hovered above Emily.

  Arden pranced forward. “Because she is Princess of the Greenwood, and she has asked you a question.”

  Hazelnut scowled. Then she perched on a nearby limb and pointed across the brook. A rope dangled from the limb of a sycamore tree. “That rope caught Staghorn by the ankle and yanked him up to the treetops. Luckily, the woodsman was here to cut him down.”

  “Poor Staghorn!” Emily cried. “He could have hung there for a very long time!”

  “But where did the rope come from?” Arden wondered.

  “Ask the princess,” Hazelnut said as she flew away. “She should know.”

  Emily was confused. No one in her kingdom had ever spoken to her that way before. She turned to Arden and asked, “What did Hazelnut mean by that?”

  Arden touched Emily’s shoulder with her horn. “Don’t let her worry you, Princess,” the unicorn murmured. “Staghorn is the one who needs our attention. Let’s go to Nana Woodbine’s and see if there is anything we can do to help the poor man.”

  “As always, you are right,” Emily said, smiling at her friend. “Let’s not waste another second.”

  Nana Woodbine’s cottage was covered in ivy. Bright-red shutters framed the windows. Cheery clouds of smoke puffed out of the stone chimney.

  Emily raised her hand to ring the bell. Before she could touch it, the door swung open.

  “Welcome, Princess,” Nana Woodbine said with a sweet smile. “I knew you would come.”

  Nana was beautiful. She had delicate features and eyes the color of the ocean. Tiny flowers were woven into the braids circling the top of her head.

  Emily peeked around Nana. She could see Staghorn lying on a carved wooden bed in front of the fire. He was surrounded by his Greenwood friends.

  “How is Staghorn’s ankle?” Emily asked.

  “It isn’t broken,” Nana replied.

  Emily heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness.”

  “But it is very badly bruised.” Nana Woodbine leaned forward and whispered, “And so is Staghorn’s pride. He felt like a fool hanging upside down like that.”

  Emily nodded. “I would have, too. May I see him?”

  Nana frowned. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. He needs to rest.”

  “But isn’t there something I can do to help?” Emily asked.

  “No, Princess,” Nana replied. “I’ve rubbed his ankle with sneezewort, and I’m just about to give him a spoonful of mercury vine. Now if you’ll excuse me …”

  Before Emily could say another word, Nana closed the door in her face.

  Emily turned to Arden. “Something very strange is going on here. Why won’t Nana let me talk to Staghorn?”

  “I don’t know,” the unicorn replied. “But it is very odd.”

  Laughter erupted inside.

  “I wish I were a tiny mouse,” Emily said, “so I could creep inside that cottage and hear what they’re all saying.”

  “Why don’t you use your magic pan flute?” the unicorn suggested. “The one that the great wizard Gallivant gave you.”

  Emily’s eyes widened. “My pan flute! But I’ve never used it before.”

  Arden smiled. “There’s always a first time.”

  Emily wore the pan flute on a golden rope draped over one shoulder. “The high note will make me small,” she said, remembering what the wizard had told her. “And the low note will make me tall.”

  Arden nodded. “That’s right. But remember, once you are small, you must stay that way until sundown.”