Anya the Cuddly Creatures Fairy

  The fairies are planning a magical ball,

  With guests of honor and fun for all.

  They’re expecting a night full of laughter and cheer,

  But they’ll get a shock when my goblins appear!

  Adventures and treats will be things of the past,

  And I’ll beat those troublesome fairies at last.

  My iciest magic will blast through the room

  And the world will be plunged into grimness and gloom!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Sunshine at the Golden Palace

  Pony Pandemonium

  Anya Appears!

  Llama Drama

  A Trough and a Tiara

  A Royal Result

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Another perfect day!” said Rachel Walker happily. She was standing in the sunshine on the grand entrance steps of the Golden Palace. Rachel’s best friend, Kirsty Tate, looked up at the sky and smiled as the bright sunbeams warmed her face.

  “It’s royal weather for a royal palace!” Kirsty agreed.

  Kirsty and Rachel were staying at the Golden Palace for a special Royal Sleepover Camp for kids over spring vacation. Today, Kirsty’s mother was bringing Kirsty’s younger cousin Charlie to spend the day with them.

  “I’m looking forward to showing Charlie all the amazing places here,” said Kirsty. “I wonder what he'll like best. The drawbridge? The moat?”

  “Or the petting zoo, the magic staircases, the dungeons, or the maze,” said Rachel, counting them off on her fingers. “There are so many things to show him, I don’t think one day will be enough!”

  “Staying here really does make me feel like a princess,” Kirsty said, gazing out across the palace gardens.

  “How about a Princess Fairy?” Rachel asked.

  The girls shared a secret smile. They were friends with the fairies who lived in Fairyland, and they often helped them when Jack Frost and his goblins caused trouble. At the moment, the fairies needed their help more than ever before. When the girls had arrived at the Golden Palace, they had been invited to a special ball in Fairyland in honor of the Princess Fairies. But Jack Frost had crashed the party and stolen the princesses' tiaras!

  “Jack Frost is so mean,” said Kirsty, thinking about the cold-hearted master of the Ice Castle. “The Princess Fairies need their tiaras to make sure that humans and fairies can have a happy, magical time. Without them, there will be problems all over the human world and in Fairyland.”

  “We’ve already found two of the tiaras,” Rachel reminded her best friend. “And we know that the others are somewhere at the Golden Palace. I’m sure we'll find them!”

  Queen Titania had not been able to keep Jack Frost from taking the tiaras to the human world, but she had cast a spell to make sure that the tiaras would all end up at the Golden Palace. That way, Rachel and Kirsty could help get them back!

  Before the girls could say another word about Fairyland or the tiaras, they saw Mrs. Tate’s car driving over the drawbridge and pulling up in front of the palace.

  “Hi, Mom!” called Kirsty, waving. “Hi, Charlie!”

  A very excited-looking little boy climbed out of the car.

  “Hi, Kirsty!” he called at the top of his voice. “Hi, Rachel! This place is AMAZING!”

  Mrs. Tate hugged Kirsty and Rachel.

  “Are you having a good time, girls?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes!” Rachel exclaimed. “It’s even more exciting here than we imagined!”

  “We want to show Charlie the petting zoo and the royal stables,” said Kirsty eagerly.

  Just then, Mrs. Tate cried out. One of the palace peacocks had jumped up onto a stone pedestal and started pecking at her purse!

  “Shoo!” said Rachel, flapping her arms at the peacock.

  The peacock lifted its tail feathers and stalked away. Kirsty and Rachel stared at it with astonishment.

  “I’ve never seen a peacock act like that before!” said Kirsty, frowning.

  “Me, neither,” Rachel added.

  “Maybe there’s something in the air,” said Mrs. Tate. “Kirsty’s cat, Pearl, has been out of sorts, too. She’s been running away and hiding all morning.”

  “That’s really strange,” said Kirsty, frowning. “Pearl usually loves curling up in people’s laps.”

  “Maybe she misses you,” said Charlie.

  “I wonder if Buttons misses me,” said Rachel, thinking of her shaggy dog.

  “I’m sure he does,” said Mrs. Tate. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back to pick you up this afternoon, Charlie. Bye, girls!”

  She got into her car and waved her hand out the window as she drove away.

  When the car had disappeared over the drawbridge, Kirsty turned to Charlie with a big smile.

  “What would you like to see first, Charlie,” she said, "the maze or the petting zoo?”

  “Oooh, I want to see the animals!” said Charlie, his eyes shining with delight. “I love animals!”

  Rachel and Kirsty led Charlie to the playground behind the palace. Charlie gasped when he saw the tall climbing wall in the center.

  “That’s called Rapunzel’s Tower,” Rachel explained.

  “I definitely want to explore that later!” Charlie declared.

  They passed the Snow White playhouse, walked around the lake, and finally arrived at the little petting zoo. Charlie smiled happily when he saw the pigpen, the goat enclosure, and the rabbit hutches.

  Rachel crouched down beside a fluffy white lop-eared rabbit. She saw a little bucket full of salad scraps, and picked out some lettuce for the rabbit.

  “Would you like to feed him?” she asked Charlie.

  Charlie crouched down beside her and held out the lettuce. But the rabbit turned around and hopped away!

  Charlie’s smile faded a little.

  “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

  “Maybe he’s not feeling very well,” Kirsty suggested. “We should probably tell Jean, the animal keeper.”

  She looked around for Jean, but the only people in sight were five boys who were peeking into the henhouse. They were wearing stylish riding jackets and breeches, with tall boots and velvety riding hats. The brims of the hats hid their faces completely.

  “No eggs in here!” one of the boys yelled.

  Then Kirsty noticed something very strange.

  “Rachel, look!” she said. “There are guinea pigs on top of the henhouse!”

  Sure enough, several guinea pigs were now sitting on the henhouse roof. Kirsty and Rachel exchanged surprised glances.

  Meanwhile, the boys had moved over to the rabbit hutches, and were trying to pet the rabbits. But every time they got close, the rabbits scattered.

  “Come on,” said Kirsty, seeing that Charlie was disappointed. “Let’s visit the royal stables.”

  The girls led the way to the stables. They were surprised to see a beautiful golden carriage in the cobblestone courtyard outside. In the sunshine, the gold sparkled and glimmered like fairy dust.

  Kirsty and Rachel peeked inside the carriage and saw soft, cushiony red seats with wide padded armrests.

  “It looks magical,” Rachel whispered in delight.

  “Just like Cinderella’s carriage,” said Kirsty, smiling at her best friend.

  Charlie was looking at some sacks of animal feed leaning against the wall. “Horse oats, chicken corn
, and llama grain,” he said, reading the labels aloud. “Each animal has its own special food.”

  Suddenly they heard a loud neighing and stomping.

  “It’s coming from that stall over there!” said Rachel, after looking around. “Come on!”

  The girls and Charlie raced over to the stall, which had a brass plaque on the door:

  My name is Duchess.

  I am a Shetland pony.

  Charlie and the girls peeked around the stable door. Inside, Jean the animal keeper was standing beside a pretty Shetland pony holding a grooming brush.

  “Calm down, Duchess,” Jean was saying. “I’m just trying to help you look your best.”

  “Hello, Jean!” said Rachel. “We wanted to show Charlie the stables.”

  “I love ponies,” said Charlie, running into the stall.

  “Be careful!” warned Jean. “Duchess is in a very weird mood today.”

  Just then, Duchess gave a loud snort and broke away from Jean. She dashed past Charlie, knocking him into a pile of straw, and charged out into the courtyard.

  “Duchess, stop!” Jean cried.

  But Duchess was in a bad mood, and she wasn’t listening. She kicked over the feed sacks that were stacked against the wall, and grain, corn, and oats poured out onto the cobblestones in the yard.

  “Oh, Duchess!” exclaimed Jean.

  Charlie hid nervously behind Kirsty while Jean coaxed Duchess back into her stall and Rachel picked up the overturned sacks. At last, Jean came out and closed the stall door behind her.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with Duchess,” she said. “She’s usually such a friendly little pony. Today’s camp activity is taking place in the barn — I hope she’s in a better mood by then.”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. So many animals had been acting strangely this morning — could it have something to do with the Princess Fairies’ missing tiaras?

  Jean scooped some feed into a bucket and smiled at Charlie, who looked upset.

  “Are you OK after your tumble in the straw?” Jean said, ruffling Charlie’s hair. “I’m sorry about Duchess. Would you like to come and help me feed some of the other animals?”

  “Yes, please!” Charlie cried excitedly.

  “Maybe you can try to get the guinea pigs to come down from the henhouse,” Jean added. “They’ve been up there all morning.”

  Charlie rushed ahead with Jean following him. Rachel and Kirsty were about to join them when they heard a gentle whinny. They looked around and saw a tall white stallion looking out from a nearby stall.

  “What a beautiful horse!” Rachel exclaimed.

  The horse whinnied again, and nodded his head a couple times. “It’s almost as if he’s trying to get our attention,” said Kirsty. “Come on, let’s go and say hello to him.”

  The nameplate on the horse’s stall said MERLIN.

  “Hello, Merlin,” said Rachel, reaching up and petting his soft nose.

  Then she noticed something strange. “Look, Kirsty!” Rachel said, pointing to the top of Merlin’s head. As the girls watched, a tiny sparkling light gradually grew brighter. Then Princess Anya the Cuddly Creatures Fairy peeked through Merlin’s silvery mane!

  “Princess Anya!” cried Kirsty in delight.

  “Hello, Kirsty! Hello, Rachel,” said the Princess Fairy, flashing a dazzling smile as she flipped her braid over her shoulder.

  She was wearing an orange dress with animal-print trim. “I’ve come to check on the animals! I’m happy to see that my friend Merlin seems fine. Have you seen any of the other animals?”

  “Yes, we have,” said Rachel. “Princess Anya, I think Jack Frost’s horrible plan is working! A peacock tried to peck Kirsty’s mom’s purse, the rabbits didn’t want any food, the hens haven’t laid any eggs, and the guinea pigs are on top of the henhouse!”

  “And Duchess the pony is in a very bad mood,” added Kirsty. “We wondered if it had anything to do with the missing tiaras.”

  “I’m afraid it does.” Anya sighed sadly. “Without my tiara, I can’t watch over the special friendships that exist between animals and humans. That’s why the animals have been behaving so strangely. I even had to leave my own little Bengal kitten in Fairyland, in case she’s affected.”

  “We have to find that tiara,” said Kirsty in a determined voice.

  But Rachel was confused. “Why is Merlin still in a good mood?” she asked Anya.

  The fairy’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “He’s my special animal friend,” she explained. “He’s descended from the very first horses that lived at the Golden Palace hundreds of years ago. They carried knights in armor, and Merlin remembers all the stories that have been passed down through his family.”

  Rachel patted Merlin’s warm neck and stroked his silky mane. He gently nuzzled her shoulder.

  “It seems like Merlin is the only animal who still has a special bond with people,” Anya said. “Will you take me to see the other animals, girls?”

  “Of course,” said Kirsty. “You'd better hide, though, Princess Anya.”

  Rachel held open her jacket pocket so that Anya could fly into it. The girls said good-bye to Merlin and walked toward the petting zoo.

  As they drew closer, they heard loud bangs and shouts. When they reached the zoo, they stared in astonishment.

  The five boys they had seen earlier were running between the animal hutches and pens, shouting to one another as they ran. Two of them were overturning bales of hay, and the others were looking under water troughs and emptying feed buckets. They seemed to be in a panic, and were terrifying the rabbits, guinea pigs, and hens. The animals had all raced to their homes in fright.

  Charlie dashed over to the girls with a sad, worried look on his face.

  “Why are those big boys being so mean?” he asked. “The animals will never be brave enough to come out of their pens now!”

  At that moment, Jean the animal keeper marched toward the boys, looking very angry.

  “Leave the zoo right now!” she ordered. “You’re upsetting all the animals.”

  The boys stomped past Rachel and Kirsty, grumbling to themselves.

  “We’ve got to find it — it must be here somewhere!” the girls heard the tallest boy say.

  “What a funny voice that boy has,” Rachel noticed.

  “And they all have very big feet for their height. . . .” added Kirsty.

  The girls gasped and turned to face each other.

  “Kirsty — they’re goblins!” Rachel whispered in alarm.

  “Yes,” said Kirsty. “And it sounds like they’re looking for something. It must be Anya’s tiara!”

  Jean offered to take Charlie to the playground. What a relief! Now Rachel and Kirsty could talk to Anya. They knew Charlie wouldn’t enjoy the petting zoo while the animals were behaving so strangely, so he wasn’t missing anything.

  As soon as Charlie and Jean were out of sight, Anya flew out of Rachel’s pocket.

  “Those awful goblins!” Anya exclaimed. “How dare they frighten all the animals like that?”

  “At least we know that the tiara is somewhere in the petting zoo,” said Kirsty. “The goblins must have dropped it here.”

  “Quick, let’s search for it before they come back,” said Rachel eagerly.

  “It will be easier for you to look if you’re the same size as me,” said Anya.

  Rachel and Kirsty held hands as Anya waved her wand. A ribbon of glittering gold whirled from the tip of her wand and wound itself into a circle above them. Then it burst like a tiny firework, showering Rachel and Kirsty in silvery sparkles. They instantly shrank to fairy-size and found themselves hovering beside Anya, fluttering their silvery wings.

  The girls started their search in the he
nhouse, where Rachel noticed something immediately.

  “The hen in the far corner is sitting on something golden!” she exclaimed. “It must be the tiara!”

  They flew toward the reddish-brown hen. She clucked at them in surprise.

  “Excuse me, do you have my golden tiara?” asked Anya politely.

  The hen moved slightly, and the girls saw that she was sitting on a bunch of tiny golden chicks. Although they were very sweet, the girls still felt disappointed.

  “Let’s keep searching,” said Anya.

  They flew through a wooden gate into the goat pen. At once, they realized they were right under the nose of a young billy goat. The goat glared at them and lowered his head.

  “Look out!” cried Rachel as the goat charged at them.

  The fairies scattered in three different directions, and the billy goat thundered past.

  “That was close!” said Kirsty, hovering out of reach.

  “I don’t think the tiara is here,” said Princess Anya. “The goblins would have been too scared of that billy goat to enter the pen!”

  They left the goat still charging around in circles, and fluttered into the rabbit hutches. A soft gray rabbit with fluffy ears stared at them in surprise. Kirsty reached out her hand to touch it, but the rabbit turned around and jumped into a pile of straw.

  All the girls could see was its quivering fluffy white tail.

  The girls and Anya searched through the hutches, but all they could find were old lettuce leaves and pieces of straw.

  Suddenly a ray of sunshine filtered into the hutch and made something in the far corner flash gold.

  “Over here!” cried Kirsty in excitement.

  The girls eagerly pulled aside the straw, but all they found was a chunk of golden-yellow corn.