said. “Snow might be worrying about me, since I did, you know, vanish a few days ago. I need to get a message to her.”
“Good luck with that,” Gustav smirked. “You don’t know where you are, remember?”
“Too true. I have no idea how to get home from here,” Duncan replied. He opened up a small bag that hung at his belt and felt around inside it. “I just need a … ah, here we go.” He pulled out a quill pen, a small piece of paper, and a tiny bottle of ink.
“You carry a desk set around with you?” Frederic asked, impressed.
“Not usually,” said Duncan. “But I had this pen and ink in my bag from a few days ago when I was taking inventory of our chipmunks, and luckily, it’s still in there.”
Leaning his paper against the hindquarters of Liam’s horse, Duncan jotted down a short note:
Dearest Snow ,
You were right ! Met other princes in the woods. Going with them to rescue Cinderella. See you when we get back .
Toodles, D .
“How are you going to get it to her?” Liam asked.
“I don’t know,” Duncan replied. He rolled the paper up and tied it tight with a blade of long grass. He tossed his little scroll on the ground and shrugged. “As I was saying before, I have magical luck. I’m just assuming this note will get to Snow somehow.”
“Tell me again why we’re letting this guy come with us,” Gustav said.
Suddenly a robin darted out of the branches of a nearby tree, snatched the scroll up in its clawed feet, and flapped out of sight. Duncan beamed. After a few seconds, Liam said, “Well, that doesn’t mean the note is going to get to Snow White, wherever she is.”
“No,” said Duncan, still smiling. “But you have to admit, it was pretty neat. Shall we go?” He climbed up to sit behind Liam on his horse. He sat backward at first; then Liam helped him turn around.
“Last chance to bail out,” Liam said, a bit hopefully. “And no hard feelings if you do.”
“Where else am I going to go?” Duncan said. “I was lost in the woods.”
“Fair enough,” Liam said. And the quartet set off.
“Well, I for one am happy to have you along, Duncan,” Frederic chimed in. “I liked that trick with the robin.”
“Pah! He’s not magic, you know,” Gustav said to Frederic. “All he did was give some bird a new little stick for its nest. So what? Even you are a better prince than he is.”
Frederic’s eyes widened. “Gustav, was that a compliment?”
“At least you don’t wear a cape.”
“So, Duncan,” Liam asked, changing the subject. “You and Snow White got married, eh?”
“Oh, yes. We’re happily in love,” Duncan replied, not wanting his new buddies to learn that he and Snow had had any sort of tiff.
“So, you believe that myth about sleeping spells?” Liam asked. “That it needs to be a kiss from someone’s true love in order to break the curse?”
“Of course not,” Duncan scoffed. “Snow was a total stranger to me when I first kissed her. No, I think anybody’s kiss would have worked.”
“Thank you!” Liam shouted triumphantly. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along, but nobody believes me. Will you please tell that to the stupid people of my kingdom?”
“Sure,” Duncan said. “But you’ll need to point out which are the stupid ones. I’d hate to get that wrong. Hey, who wants to hear me whistle the alphabet backward?”
The princes continued to chitchat as they went on through the forest, with Duncan trying to gauge how the other princes felt about him. He’d never been very good at determining whether someone was entertained or annoyed by him. But he was pretty sure he saw both Frederic and Liam smile a few times. He was going to have to work a little harder on Gustav.
As they rode along, Duncan didn’t worry at all that they were heading off to do battle with a villainous witch and her giant bodyguard. He was sure that whatever happened, it would all end just fine. Because he believed he was magic. Which he
“Good luck with that,” Gustav smirked. “You don’t know where you are, remember?”
“Too true. I have no idea how to get home from here,” Duncan replied. He opened up a small bag that hung at his belt and felt around inside it. “I just need a … ah, here we go.” He pulled out a quill pen, a small piece of paper, and a tiny bottle of ink.
“You carry a desk set around with you?” Frederic asked, impressed.
“Not usually,” said Duncan. “But I had this pen and ink in my bag from a few days ago when I was taking inventory of our chipmunks, and luckily, it’s still in there.”
Leaning his paper against the hindquarters of Liam’s horse, Duncan jotted down a short note:
Dearest Snow ,
You were right ! Met other princes in the woods. Going with them to rescue Cinderella. See you when we get back .
Toodles, D .
“How are you going to get it to her?” Liam asked.
“I don’t know,” Duncan replied. He rolled the paper up and tied it tight with a blade of long grass. He tossed his little scroll on the ground and shrugged. “As I was saying before, I have magical luck. I’m just assuming this note will get to Snow somehow.”
“Tell me again why we’re letting this guy come with us,” Gustav said.
Suddenly a robin darted out of the branches of a nearby tree, snatched the scroll up in its clawed feet, and flapped out of sight. Duncan beamed. After a few seconds, Liam said, “Well, that doesn’t mean the note is going to get to Snow White, wherever she is.”
“No,” said Duncan, still smiling. “But you have to admit, it was pretty neat. Shall we go?” He climbed up to sit behind Liam on his horse. He sat backward at first; then Liam helped him turn around.
“Last chance to bail out,” Liam said, a bit hopefully. “And no hard feelings if you do.”
“Where else am I going to go?” Duncan said. “I was lost in the woods.”
“Fair enough,” Liam said. And the quartet set off.
“Well, I for one am happy to have you along, Duncan,” Frederic chimed in. “I liked that trick with the robin.”
“Pah! He’s not magic, you know,” Gustav said to Frederic. “All he did was give some bird a new little stick for its nest. So what? Even you are a better prince than he is.”
Frederic’s eyes widened. “Gustav, was that a compliment?”
“At least you don’t wear a cape.”
“So, Duncan,” Liam asked, changing the subject. “You and Snow White got married, eh?”
“Oh, yes. We’re happily in love,” Duncan replied, not wanting his new buddies to learn that he and Snow had had any sort of tiff.
“So, you believe that myth about sleeping spells?” Liam asked. “That it needs to be a kiss from someone’s true love in order to break the curse?”
“Of course not,” Duncan scoffed. “Snow was a total stranger to me when I first kissed her. No, I think anybody’s kiss would have worked.”
“Thank you!” Liam shouted triumphantly. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along, but nobody believes me. Will you please tell that to the stupid people of my kingdom?”
“Sure,” Duncan said. “But you’ll need to point out which are the stupid ones. I’d hate to get that wrong. Hey, who wants to hear me whistle the alphabet backward?”
The princes continued to chitchat as they went on through the forest, with Duncan trying to gauge how the other princes felt about him. He’d never been very good at determining whether someone was entertained or annoyed by him. But he was pretty sure he saw both Frederic and Liam smile a few times. He was going to have to work a little harder on Gustav.
As they rode along, Duncan didn’t worry at all that they were heading off to do battle with a villainous witch and her giant bodyguard. He was sure that whatever happened, it would all end just fine. Because he believed he was magic. Which he
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