As the Hostage Warrior came forth on his horse, he led a young human girl of about 5 years old along by a rope tied around her neck and wrists. She had long black hair, a pale pink dress that was smudged with dirt from the long journey, and a large hat the came down to just above her eyes. Suddenly, the girl fell and didn’t get back up. The Hostage Warrior pulled on the rope but still the girl did not rise.
“Halt!” Elena cried as she stepped forward and pulled down her hood to reveal her face and the silver crown that was upon her head. The other royals followed her and did the same. Sidney stayed back so not to get into trouble. Everyone grew quiet, waiting to find out what the young royals would do. Elena ran over to the girl and turned her face so that it faced the sky. The girl's face was purple. She could not breathe! Elena tried to untie the knot of the rope around her neck, but it was a Warrior’s knot that could only be untied by a Warrior.
“Untie this knot at once. This girl can not breathe!” Elena commanded the Warrior.
“Yes Princess Elena” the Warrior replied as he got off his horse, bowed quickly to all of them, and began to untie the knot. As he was doing this, Elena looked over at her friends and spoke to them with her mind.
“Should we free her from this?” They all nodded in agreement. It was sheer torture for the child! Then Danielle motioned to Sidney to come forward and they both went up to where the girl, Elena, and the Warrior were. Michael, Terrius, Johnny and Terry made a path through the villagers and Emily stood at the end and waited to receive the child to take her to their secret hiding place.
“We better make sure the ropes on her wrists aren’t too tight.” Danielle said to Sidney. The two princesses and Sidney began to examine the ropes on the girl's wrists. When the Warrior was finished with the knot of the rope on the girl's neck, Elena commanded him to untie the ropes on her wrists and retie them more loosely.
“...But Princess...” The Warrior began to object.
“Just do it” Elena snapped.
“Yes Princess” the warrior replied and untied the ropes on the girl's wrists. When he was finished, Elena and Danielle grabbed his wrists and pushed him back, causing him to drop the rope. Sidney grabbed the rope and threw it over him so that he became tangled in it. They grabbed the girl, who was now awake, and told her to run.
“Don’t be afraid. Keep running!” They called after her. When she reached the end of the passage between the villagers, Emily grabbed her hand and disappeared with her. The others followed. Everyone in the village quickly recovered from the action and by evening, everyone but the young royals and their village friend knew that the kings were missing!
* * * *
The next morning the young royals, with the exception of Elena, had retreated to their underground hideout, and were watching the young human while she ate breakfast. Elena walked in, hold a few new pieces of clothing to replace the worn old dress that the young girl was in.
"The guards are still looking for her." she said, laying the clothes on a nearby table. The girl had finished eating and had just noticed the clothing with interest. Danielle took the plate away to the kitchen area and Emily picked out a dress for the young girl. In the corner, Punky, Johnny's pet pig, snorted to let the room know he was awake, and the little girl looked around at him.
"Has she said anything yet?" Elena asked, as she gestered for the boys to leave the current room so they could bathe the girl.
"No." Danielle replied, coming back from the kitchen.
"We've been trying all morning." Emily added.
"I'm really glad we found this place. How long ago was it?" Elena asked. "Well, we were about 12, so what would that be..." Danielle trailed off in thought.
"About 4 years ago." Emily said, "Can you hand me a towel?"
"That's right, it was on the day of the Stars Ceremony." Said Danielle. "You know, when we found out that we had the power of the stars and started our classes."
"It has been four years and all we know how to do is brighten those stupid stars!" Elena added. She stopped when she saw the young girl. She looked so much different in the blue dress of Elena's that she had brought for her.
The next moment, Sidney rushed into the underground hideout.
“You guys!”, She shouted, “Something terrible has happened!” This brought the young princes back into the room to see what all the fuss was about.
“Shhh” Elena whispered as she pointed to the child, Who had run and hid under the 7 cots when Sidney had run in.
“What happened to the Hostage Warrior because of the girl escaping?” Michael asked, putting down the book he had been reading.
“I don’t know," Sidney replied, “this is far worse!”
“Is because we are late for Magic class?” Terry asked, looking at his watch.
“No! Much worse than that!” Sidney’s voice began to rise again.
“Quiet!” , Emily whispered loudly. “What is it?”
“Your fathers are all missing! My mother said they are all being held captive by the humans!” Sidney said in a long rush of words. There was a moment of silence before every princess fainted into the arms of a prince.
* * * *
Not far from the young royals' hideout, in the castle of King Nathan Burnes, the royals' mothers were sitting down in a parlor room. They were discussing their husbands' situations and suitable punishments for their children for freeing the human hostage.
“We could ground them or send them to camp” Nikki, wife of his majesty King Neil Carlson and mother of Danielle and Johnny, said.
“We could restrict them” Brandi, mother of Elena and wife to King David Reeds, added.
“Camp would be too harsh. They didn’t kill anyone or seriously hurt them.” , Jessie, mother of Emily and wife to King Daniel Rodgers, said, “They only put the Hostage Warrior in prison.”
“They are getting too old to be put on restrictions too” Theresa, wife of his majesty King Nathan Burnes and mother of Michael and Terrius, replied.
“Then there is only one thing to do.” Michelle, mother of Terry and wife to King Lucas Kanis, said at last.
“Grounded!” They all said in unison.
* * * *
When all the princesses regained consciousness, Emily cried, “We must find them!”
“I agree.” Sidney said, “What do you think? Should we find them ourselves or should we leave it to our mothers?”
“Find them!” Emily cried out.
“Yea!” Johnny and Terry cried in unison.
“Okay.” The others said much more calmly.
“We must make absolutely sure it is the humans that are holding them hostage.” Elena said.
“It’s getting late and our mothers will want us home soon.” Michael said, “Why don’t we all meet again to discuss this more later?”
“He’s right. We should probably go and Sidney, your mother will want you home to help her, won’t she?” Danielle said.
“No. She knows I am going to spend the rest of the day with you. I'll take the girl and hide her up in your room until you all can get up there.” Sidney said. The others nodded and they all left to return to the home of Michael and Terrius where their mothers would all be waiting.
* * * *
“Hello?” Everyone except Sidney, who wasn’t with them, said as they entered the castle. The royals' parents didn’t know that they were friends with Sidney. They were not supposed to be friends with villagers, although they never understood why.
“Children, we are glad to see you. We have decided your punishment for freeing the hostage. You are grounded. We want no complaints.” Nikki said with a firm voice.
“Go to your rooms, boys” Theresa said to Michael and Terrius, “You others will go up there as well until your mothers are ready to leave.”
“Remember” Elena whispered as they all headed upstairs.
When upstairs, they snuck the hostage girl and Sidney in with them and gathered in Terrius’s room. After feeding the girl and discussing their plan, Elena said “Let’s brighten the stars!” Everyone gathered in a circle, except Sidney, Takneesha, and of course Punky, and joined hands.
“Our mothers control the moon” all three princesses said in unison.
“Our fathers control the sun.” All the princes said together.
“And we control the stars!” They all said together and outside the stars brightened so that every one could be seen against the darkness of the evening sky. Everyone gathered by the window to look at them.
“Why are some of the stars still dim?” Takneesha asked. Everyone looked to where the girl was pointing.
“Someone else must also control those stars. It’s the only way.” Elena said. Soon, Nikki, Michelle, Brandi, and Jessie came to collect their children and everyone returned to their homes and went to bed.
* * * *
The next morning at breakfast in the garden at Danielle and Johnny’s house, they went over the plan one more time to make sure everyone remembered. The girl, whose name is Takneesha, is being kept in their hideout for now.
“So we are all agreed on what we are to do?” Elena asked, everyone nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”
They crept in the castle so as not to wake Danielle and Johnny’s sleeping mother. Danielle found her mother’s journal, then they ‘popped’ to the other castles and did the same then they ‘popped’ to the underground hideout.
They began looking at their mother's journals.
“Look at this” Johnny said to his sister, she read out loud:
“Today was supposed to be a day of happiness and feasting among the village, but it turned into a nightmare. First my children and their friends created a disturbance by freeing the human hostage, and now my husband is missing. There is a rumor that they have been captured by the humans, the ones we are at war with. I fear these rumors are true. How will I be able to tell my children this? Will they understand? I can only hope that we will find them within the next few days so I won’t have to tell them this depressing news. I can only hope...”
They all found similar entries in their journals also.
“So Sidney was right, are fathers are really missing.” Emily said in disbelief.
“We must find them.” Danielle said, close to tears.
“I agree.” Elena said and turning to the others “What do you think? Should we find them ourselves or should we leave to our mothers?”
“Find them!” Emily cried out.
“Yea!” Johnny and Terry cried in unison.
“Okay.” The other said much more calmly.
“We must make absolutely sure it is the humans that are holding them hostage.” Elena said.
“We should get home.” Michael said, “Why don’t we all meet again to discuss this more later?”
“He’s right. We should probably go, I will bring Sidney when we meet again. She’ll want to help us” Danielle said.
“Why don’t we meet here at around lunch time?” Emily suggested, the others agreed.
After almost getting caught putting the journal back they meet again and with Sidney. They were going to go through the canyon near their hideout but a storm blocked their path to the North.
“This ruins everything and sets us back!” Danielle cried in frustration.
“I know someone who can help you. He lives not far from the canyon.” Sidney said.
“Who is he, or she?” Terrius asked.
“The villagers call him Mr. Oracle.” Sidney answered him.
“Is he human?” Johnny asked her.
“No.”
“Take us to him, please.” Elena said, standing up. All of them left towards this Mr. Oracle’s place. Punky trotted happily behind leaving Takneesha for now. Danielle was sure to tell their mother they had gone, but she did not say where they were going.