Princess Lessons Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  251 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010

  Copyright © 2017 by Little Bee Books

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Manufactured in the United States of America TPL 0120

  ISBN: 978-1-4998-0400-3 (hc)

  First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ISBN: 978-1-4998-0399-0 (pbk)

  First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  For more information about special discounts on bulk purchases, please contact Little Bee Books at [email protected].

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  Contents

  1. Little Fairy Creatures

  2. A Real Princess?

  3. The Princess Test

  4. Very Princess-y

  5. Triple-Tail-Twirl

  6. Spotted in the Moonlight

  7. What Kind of Horse Are You?

  8. Zebra-fied

  9. Are You Ready?

  CHAPTER 1

  Little Fairy Creatures

  “Did you hear that?” Sasha lifted her ears.

  “Hear what?” asked her better-than-best friend, Wyatt.

  “A crunch from under this boysenberry bush.” Sasha stepped forward to look. “Is it them?”

  “Stay back!” cried Wyatt. “I’ll look.”

  Sasha frowned. She should look first—not Wyatt. She was the brave one. Everyone knew that.

  But everything had changed this week.

  She wasn’t a regular horse like Wyatt anymore. She was a flying horse—and flying horses were in danger.

  “Sasha! You’re home!” Poppy squealed and trotted toward her sister.

  There were three sisters in Sasha’s family. Sasha was the youngest, Zara was the oldest, and Poppy was in the middle. Poppy was the fancy sister. She wore flowers in her mane and tail.

  Sasha nuzzled Poppy. She was happy to be home in Verdant Valley. So much had happened this week. First, Sasha had discovered that she had wings and could fly. Then, she’d gone away to search for other flying horses.

  “What’s he doing?” cried Poppy. Wyatt’s head was buried in the bushes. Leaves and berries dropped to the ground.

  “Searching for plant pixies,” said Sasha.

  “For what?” Poppy usually knew everything, but she had never heard of plant pixies.

  “Plant pixies are little fairy creatures who live in plants,” said Sasha.

  “How cute!” exclaimed Poppy.

  “Not so much.” Wyatt lifted his head. “These pixies may be tiny, but they can hurt a flying horse.”

  “Can I see a plant pixie?” asked Poppy.

  “They’re not here. He made the noise,” Wyatt said, pointing to a chipmunk. The chipmunk shrugged, then grabbed a berry.

  “Happy days!” A purple horse cantered out of the shadows. The tiny braids in her tail twirled as she ran.

  Poppy’s brown eyes grew wide. She had never seen a purple horse! Her coat was chestnut-brown. Sasha was pale gray with a white patch on her back. All the horses in Verdant Valley were brown, white, black, or gray.

  “Who are you?” Poppy asked.

  “Kimani is my new friend. She lives in Crystal Cove with the other flying horses. She flies, too,” said Sasha.

  Kimani opened her wings. Her feathers were deep violet.

  Poppy wasn’t sure what was more amazing—that her little sister had found other horses with wings or that the flying horses were so beautiful.

  Kimani inspected Poppy’s mane and tail. “Wow! I never knew regular horses were so glamorous. Can you put pretty flowers in my mane, too?”

  “Sure!” Poppy smiled. Sasha wouldn’t stand still when Poppy tried to decorate her mane. She turned to Sasha. “I like your new friend.”

  “Here comes your mom and Caleb.” Wyatt pointed across the meadow.

  Caleb, their teacher, was old and moved very slowly. Sasha knew it would be a while before they both reached her. She listened to Poppy and Kimani talk about using honeysuckle petals to make their manes smell nice.

  “Boring!” Sasha spotted an apple on the ground. “Think fast!” she called to Wyatt.

  She kicked the apple with her hoof. It sailed through the air toward him. Wyatt headed the apple back to her. She blocked it with one of her hind legs and knocked it back at him.

  Then Wyatt kicked it too hard. The apple rolled under a large white mushroom nearby. Sasha bent to look for it.

  A tiny, pointy face peered out at her from behind the mushroom.

  A plant pixie!

  CHAPTER 2

  A Real Princess?

  “Whoa!” cried Sasha.

  What should she do?

  Wyatt had once sneezed on a plant pixie to make it go away.

  Sasha tried to sneeze. No sneeze came out.

  The plant pixie scampered off before she could try again.

  Poppy giggled. “I can’t believe you’re scared of one little pixie.”

  “There is never only one,” said Kimani. “Where there’s one, hundreds of others are always nearby.”

  “Then what happens?” asked Poppy.

  “They try to steal a flying horse’s feathers. A flying horse becomes too weak to fly if she’s missing feathers. Sometimes, she can’t even walk without them,” said Kimani.

  Sasha gulped. She didn’t want plant pixies to steal her feathers.

  “Wasn’t a spell placed on Verdant Valley to keep plant pixies away?” asked Sasha. “Why are they here now?”

  “The spell must have been broken when you went through the big trees,” guessed Kimani.

  Sasha had gone through the trees to visit Crystal Cove. No horse from the valley had ever crossed the big trees before.

  Kimani searched the flowers and trees for other hidden pixies. “A lot will show up once they know the princess is here.”

  “Are you a princess, Kimani?” Poppy was excited. She’d never met a real princess.

  “Not me,” said Kimani. “Sasha is.”

  “Sasha?” Poppy asked in disbelief.

  Sasha didn’t act like a princess. She ran in the muddy fields with Wyatt. If anyone acted like a princess, it was Poppy.

  “It’s not fair,” Poppy said with a pout. Caleb and their mother finally walked up to join them. “Sasha has wings, and now she’s a princess, too.”

  Sasha blushed. She didn’t want to be a flying horse princess—or any kind of princess.

  Kimani explained that the flying horses had left Sasha in Verdant Valley when she was a baby to keep her safe from the plant pixies. “Sasha’s feathers have extra-special power. If the plant pixies take them from her, she won’t be able to rule the flying horses someday.”

  Caleb frowned. “Sasha can’t stay here if she’s in danger.”

  “Sasha must go back to Crystal Cove,” her mother added. “The flying horses will keep her safe.”

  “That’s a good plan,” said Kimani. “Sapphire will know what to do.”

  Sapphire was the bright blue flying horse in charge of Crystal Cove.

  “Can I come, too?” asked Poppy.

  Kimani shook her head. “We need to go quickly. It’s best if we fly, and—”

  “—I don’t have wings.” Poppy sighed.

  Sasha wished she could take her sister with her. She wanted to take Wyatt, Caleb, and her parents, too. She felt caught between the two worlds that she love
d.

  “I’ll come back very soon, I promise.” Sasha kissed everyone good-bye.

  Sasha followed Kimani through the big trees.

  Then the two horses flew up, up, up into the clouds.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Princess Test

  As Sasha and Kimani flew, the land below them grew more colorful. The ocean turned turquoise. The beach glittered with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. A peacock on the ground joked with a spider monkey riding a scooter. Flamingoes played jump rope.

  Sasha and Kimani landed on the beach of Crystal Cove. Horses of every color—red, orange, pink, green—opened their wings and cheered for Sasha’s arrival.

  “So weird.” Sasha smiled and waved her tail. She never got this much attention back home.

  “Greetings!” boomed the deep voice of a toucan. He was Sapphire’s messenger. “Sapphire has been waiting for you.”

  He led them to a gold door in the side of a rocky cliff. The flying horses lived in caves along the cliffs. The door swung open. The toucan nudged her inside.

  “Just me?” Sasha peered nervously into the darkness.

  “I can’t go,” said Kimani. “I’m not part of the special meeting.”

  Spotting an amber light just ahead of her, Sasha slowly walked toward it. She entered a large room. Four horses in it studied a map.

  “Join us, Sasha.” Sapphire’s voice was warm. “What’s she doing here?” a large yellow horse asked.

  “I want to help.” Sasha had broken the spell. It was only right that she helped get rid of the plant pixies.

  “No,” snapped the yellow horse. “You aren’t ready. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Now, Xanthos, be nice,” Sapphire said to the yellow horse. She turned to Sasha. “Only members of the High Haras are allowed in here.”

  “What’s the High Haras?” Sasha was very confused.

  “The High Haras is this group. We rule Crystal Cove when the King and Queen aren’t here,” said Sapphire. “They’re off helping a herd of flying horses on the other side of the world.”

  Just days ago, Sasha had thought she was the only horse that had wings. She had been so wrong! Flying horses lived all over the world.

  Sapphire opened a wooden box. She lifted out a gold crown that twinkled with white diamonds and pink crystals.

  “You are our Lost Princess, Sasha. Someday you will wear this crown. When you do, you will be part of the High Haras.”

  “That’s mine?” Sasha reached out to touch the crown, but Sapphire quickly tucked it into the box.

  “Yes, but not now. First, you must study this.” She held up a pile of fabric.

  “Study a blanket?” asked Sasha.

  “It’s not a blanket.” Sapphire stretched out the sheer fabric for Sasha to see. Tiny words covered every inch. “The story of the flying horses is written here.”

  “We sure have a long story!” Sasha joked.

  “We do. You must learn the whole story and how to act like a princess to pass the Princess Test,” said Sapphire.

  “There’s a test?” Sasha never did well on tests at school.

  “Yes. Crimson will help you prepare.” Sapphire pointed to the red horse next to her.

  Sasha shook her head. “The crown is pretty, but I don’t want to study for a princess test. I want to get rid of the plant pixies, so I can go home.”

  “You can only help if you pass the test,” said Xanthos. “It’s the rule.”

  “A princess has important hidden powers. We can’t learn what yours are until you pass the test,” said Sapphire. “We need your help. Only your princess powers can keep us safe.”

  Sasha knew she had no choice. She had to pass the Princess Test.

  CHAPTER 4

  Very Princess-y

  Princess lessons were hard.

  Sasha spent the next day flying up, down, and all around. There were rules about how a princess should flap her wings (on a 1 . . . 2, 3 count), take off (no running start), and land (smoothly, of course).

  Crimson said Sasha’s takeoff was awkward. She said her landings were clumsy. Sasha did them over and over until she felt dizzy.

  “Time to eat.” Crimson spoke each word crisply. She was very proper.

  “Bring on the food!” Sasha tied a white napkin around her neck. Crimson placed a carrot on a silver plate.

  How would a princess eat this? Sasha took a teeny, tiny bite. She chewed quietly. Then she took another teeny, tiny bite. She was sure she aced this test, even though eating the carrot was taking forever.

  “Wrong! All wrong!” cried Crimson. “A princess should eat with gusto.”

  “What’s gusto?” asked Sasha.

  “Happiness and energy. Dig in, chew loudly, and show how much you enjoy it,” said Crimson.

  Sasha laughed. “That’s how I always eat. I was trying to be princess-y.”

  Crimson led Sasha to a small pond where the water bubbled. “Try drinking now.”

  Sasha decided to drink the way she always did. She waded into the cool water. She lowered her head and lapped it up with her tongue. “How was that?”

  “Not princess-y at all,” said Crimson. “A princess never walks into the water she drinks. So gross! She gives a low curtsy, then sips.”

  “Seriously?” Sasha raised her eyebrows. “Okay, I’ll try.”

  Sasha balanced on the edge of the lake. She bent her knees low. Her legs trembled as she tried to stay still. She titled her head toward the water and—splash!

  Sasha tumbled face-first into the pond!

  When she popped her head out of the water, her wet mane was plastered around her face.

  Kimani was watching nearby. “You look ridiculous!” she said, laughing.

  Sasha swam to the edge and shook her whole body, showering Kimani with droplets. “Now you’re wet, too!”

  The two wet friends burst into giggles.

  Crimson didn’t laugh. “Hmmm, princess lessons don’t seem to be working today.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Triple-Tail-Twirl

  “Thousands of years ago, more horses than birds flew in the sky,” Sasha read aloud the next day.

  She imagined the sky crowded with horses.

  Crimson was making her read the story of the flying horses over and over. Crimson said she’d learn faster alone. Sasha hated being by herself.

  “A horse’s wing has many kinds of feathers. There are plumes, bristles, filaments. . . .” Sasha’s voice trailed off.

  She’d never remember these tricky names.

  She couldn’t focus. The words danced across the fabric. Her legs were restless.

  Sasha wished she could be outside. What’s Wyatt doing back home? she wondered. Was he climbing Mystic Mountain? Were Poppy and Zara splashing at the stream where all the horses drank?

  “Hello, hello!” The toucan poked his colorful beak into the cave.

  “Finally! Tell me everything.” Sasha pulled him inside.

  Sasha had sent the toucan back to Verdant Valley.

  He gave a report. There had been a running race at school. Her oldest sister, Zara, had written a new poem. Her mother had found a field of wheatgrass for dinner.

  Sasha’s heart squeezed tightly in her chest. She missed everyone. “Can I go back for a quick visit?”

  The toucan shook his head. “No. The plant pixies are still there, waiting in the flowers.”

  “They won’t find me,” said Sasha.

  “It’s too risky,” said the toucan. “If you pass the test and get your princess powers, you can help get rid of the plant pixies. Then you can go home.”

  Sasha read the story of the flying horses again until the sun began to set.

  “Am I ready?” she asked Crimson. She knew the names of twenty old kings and queens.

  “Not yet,” said Crimson. “It will take weeks to learn everything.”

  Weeks? No way! That was too long!

  Kimani saw that Sasha was upset. “Sasha, you look like you need a break.” />
  “You’re the best!” Sasha nuzzled her new friend.

  Kimani led her to an enchanted waterfall. Sasha wished she could tell Poppy about the sparkly rainbow water. Her fancy sister would love it.

  “Let’s play hide-and-go-seek. Me first.” Kimani darted behind a rock.

  Sasha quickly spotted her braided tail sticking out.

  “My turn.” Sasha snuck behind the waterfall. The sky grew purple as night rolled in. Were her sisters telling bedtime stories back home?

  As she waited for Kimani to find her, Sasha felt the white patch on her back begin to itch. She knew what the itch meant. Her body wanted to fly.

  No, it needed to fly.

  The feeling grew stronger and stronger.

  “Found you!” cried Kimani.

  “Can you keep a secret?” whispered Sasha.

  “Sure,” said Kimani.

  “Triple-tail-twirl promise?”

  “Triple-tail-twirl promise.” Kimani twirled her tail three times.

  Sasha took a deep breath. “I’m going to fly home. I just want to say hi. Don’t tell, okay?”

  Before Kimani could answer, Sasha soared into the sky.

  CHAPTER 6

  Spotted in the Moonlight

  Sasha flew under the clouds. Stars twinkled, and a full moon glowed. She began to hum. No more boring studying!

  Suddenly, a green horse zoomed up on her right side.

  Then another green horse zoomed up on her left side.

  Whoosh! They threw two long, silver ribbons at her. One ribbon wrapped around one of her hind legs. The other ribbon wrapped around her nose. The horses held the ends of the ribbons with their mouths.

  Sasha had been captured!

  Together, the green horses gently pulled Sasha down to the Crystal Cove beach.