Aisha the Princess and the Pea Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Rainy Morning

  The Lost Princess

  The Sweet Jack Frost?

  So Many Mattresses!

  Tumbling Down

  One Clever Princess

  Teaser

  Copyright

  The Fairy Tale Fairies are in for a shock!

  Cinderella won’t run at the strike of the clock.

  No one can stop me—I’ve plotted and planned,

  And I’ll be the fairest one in all of the land.

  It will take someone handsome and witty and clever

  To stop storybook endings forever and ever.

  But to see fairies suffer great trouble and strife,

  Will make me live happily all of my life!

  “Rain, rain, go away,” Kirsty Tate sang gloomily.

  Her best friend, Rachel Walker, joined in. “Come again some other day.”

  The two girls were looking out the window of their bedroom in Tiptop Castle. They had arrived a few days before for the Fairy Tale Festival. Each day, the festival organizers had planned a special fairy tale-themed activity for the guests. Today they were supposed to go on a fairy tale walk through the woods.

  “No walk through the woods today,” Kirsty said as she pushed a lock of brown hair away from her face. Outside, a steady rain fell on the grounds of Tiptop Castle. Puddles formed on the green lawn and water splashed up from the castle moat. The sky was as gray as the smooth castle stones.

  “Amy said they were going to come up with a special activity for us,” Rachel said. “It might be a movie. That will be fun.”

  “I know,” Kirsty said. “I guess I just don’t like rain. It makes me feel … blah. And until the activity starts, there’s nothing to do.”

  Rachel looked thoughtful. “Maybe it’s good that we have some free time. There are still two of the Fairy Tale Fairies’ missing items to find!”

  “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” Kirsty wondered. “Come on, let’s look in the book.”

  Rachel and Kirsty were both friends of the fairies. On their first day at Tiptop Castle, Hannah the Happily Ever After Fairy had come to see them. She had invited them to visit Fairy Tale Lane, home of the seven Fairy Tale Fairies. Each of the fairies had a magic object that helped them take care of a different fairy tale.

  But Jack Frost, that troublemaker, had stolen all seven magic objects. He wanted to be the star of every fairy tale! While Jack Frost had the objects, the fairy tale characters were lost and couldn’t get back to their stories. The pages in The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales had all gone blank.

  Rachel picked up the book from the dressing table and leafed through it. “So far, we’ve found five of the objects,” she said. “And five fairy tales are back in the book.”

  “Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, The Frog Princess, and Beauty and the Beast,” said Kirsty. “So which fairy tales are left?”

  “The Princess and the Pea and The Little Mermaid,” Rachel replied.

  “Hmm,” Kirsty said. “I haven’t read either of those stories in a while.”

  “Well, we could see if we can find them in the castle library,” Rachel suggested. “Maybe we can find clues that could tell us what Jack Frost is up to next.”

  “Good idea,” Kirsty agreed, and the two girls headed to the grand castle staircase.

  The big chandelier glittered overhead as they walked downstairs.

  “The Princess and the Pea,” Kirsty mused. “That’s the one where a lost girl shows up at a castle on a rainy night, right? She says she’s a princess, but the queen doesn’t believe her.”

  Rachel nodded. “Right. So the queen tests her. She makes her sleep on a tall stack of mattresses and puts a pea on the very bottom. If the girl can feel the pea, it will mean she is a true princess.”

  “That’s kind of silly,” Kirsty said. “How could anyone feel a tiny pea under all those mattresses?”

  “Well, in the story, it’s because the princess has such delicate skin,” Rachel explained. “At least I think so. I hope we can find the book in the library.”

  When the girls reached the main hall, they found a surprising sight waiting for them. Many of the Fairy Tale Festival guests and organizers were running around and looking confused.

  Kirsty stopped Omri, one of the other children the girls had made friends with.

  “What’s going on?” Kirsty asked him.

  “It’s so weird!” Omri replied. “When I got back to my room after breakfast, my mattress was missing!”

  “You mean your whole bed was gone?” Rachel asked.

  Omri shook his head. “No, just the mattress. And then when I went to tell one of the organizers, a bunch of kids were saying they were missing their mattresses, too.”

  “Maybe someone took them to be cleaned,” Rachel guessed.

  “That’s what Amy thought, but none of the other organizers knew about it,” Omri explained. “Like I said, it’s weird.”

  A girl ran down the stairs. “My mattress is missing!”

  “So is mine!” shouted a boy.

  An organizer dressed like a fairy tale prince held up his hands. “Calm down, everyone! We’ll figure this out.”

  Rachel pulled Kirsty aside. “This is very strange. Why would someone be stealing mattresses? And where would they hide them?”

  Kirsty’s eyes got wide. “Hey, we were just talking about mattresses. In the fairy tale. Maybe—”

  Just then, there was a loud knock on the front door of the castle.

  “Should we answer it?” Rachel wondered. All of the festival organizers were off looking for the missing mattresses.

  “I guess we should,” Kirsty replied, and the two girls walked to the big front doors and opened them.

  A young woman stood in the rain. Her gray dress was dirty and soaked. Water dripped from her long, dark hair.

  “I … I think I’m lost,” she said. “May I please come in and stay warm and dry?”

  Rachel whispered to Kirsty, “I don’t know if we are allowed to let strangers into the castle.”

  “But she looks so sweet and helpless,” Kirsty said. “Even if she is a stranger.”

  Suddenly, a puff of fairy sparkles erupted from a nearby umbrella stand.

  A tiny fairy popped her head up—it was Aisha the Princess and the Pea Fairy!

  “She’s not a stranger!” Aisha said. “I know who she is!”

  Kirsty and Rachel smiled at Aisha. She wore a cute, dark pink top with a matching flowy skirt. She had long black braids that fell past her shoulders. Her tiny, pink heeled shoes were decorated with black pom-poms.

  “Aisha!” Kirsty cried. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  Rachel looked at the young woman in the doorway. “If you’re here, that means that she—”

  “Is the princess from The Princess and the Pea,” finished Aisha.

  The young woman frowned. “Princess? Pea?” she asked. Then she sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so confused!”

  “You should come inside,” Kirsty said quickly.

  Aisha fluttered up to the princess. “You’ve lost your memory … sort of,” she explained. “But don’t worry, I’ll help you, and so will my friends Kirsty and Rachel.”

  The princess nodded. “Thank you,” she said, and then she shivered. “It’s cold in here.”

  “We should get her some dry clothes,” Rachel said. “I’m sure we could find something in her size in the costume closet.”

  Kirsty nodded and looked at Aisha. “Do you want to fly into my pocket? We have to make sure nobody sees you.�
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  “Of course!” Aisha replied with a smile, and she flew into the front pocket of Kirsty’s sweater.

  Rachel turned to the princess. “Follow us.”

  The girls led the princess through the big castle ballroom. Nobody noticed the rain-drenched princess with the girls. Everyone was too worried about the missing mattresses.

  They walked down a hallway and then stopped in front of the costume closet. It was filled with costumes for the festival organizers and costumes for the children to borrow, too. Kirsty opened the door and they stepped inside. The big closet was filled with racks of dresses, fancy jackets and pants, furry animal suits, and scarves and jewelry in every color.

  “What would you like to wear?” Rachel asked.

  “It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s dry,” the princess said. “Thank you. It’s very kind of you.”

  Aisha fluttered out of Kirsty’s pocket. “I see something,” she said, alighting next to a dark pink princess dress. “It’s the same color as mine!”

  The princess pulled it off the hanger. “It’s very pretty, and it looks like it will fit.”

  “You can change in our room,” Rachel offered.

  They went back upstairs to the bedroom the girls shared.

  “Our mattresses are still here,” Kirsty remarked, as they stepped inside.

  “Why wouldn’t they be?” Aisha asked.

  “Let’s step outside so the princess can get changed, and we’ll explain,” Rachel said.

  Aisha and the girls left the room and closed the door. Aisha flew out of Kirsty’s pocket and sat on her shoulder.

  “What were you saying about mattresses?” she asked.

  “Somebody has been stealing all the mattresses in the castle,” Rachel replied.

  “And that made me think of The Princess and the Pea fairy tale,” Kirsty said. “In the story, the queen makes the princess sleep on a big pile of mattresses.”

  “This is very interesting,” Aisha said. “I came here looking for Jack Frost. He has my magic golden locket. Without it, I can’t control The Princess and the Pea fairy tale. I know that Jack Frost wants to make himself the star of the story!”

  “Do you think Jack Frost is the reason the mattresses are missing?” Rachel asked.

  “It could be,” Aisha said. “To be the star of The Princess and the Pea, he would need a lot of mattresses!”

  Just then the door opened, and the princess stood there wearing the pink dress. She looked very different from the young woman who had knocked on the castle door.

  “Oh, you look so much happier!” Rachel said.

  “Thank you,” the princess said with a smile. “Now, I just wish I knew why I was here. I think I’m supposed to be in a castle, but I’m not sure if this is the right one.”

  They all walked back inside the girls’ room.

  “You should stay here while we go try to figure this out,” Aisha told the princess.

  “I have some books you could read,” Rachel offered.

  “Thank you,” the princess said.

  “You’re welcome—by the way, what is your name?” Rachel asked.

  The princess frowned. “I don’t know. I can’t seem to remember.”

  Aisha flew between the girls. “In the fairy tale, the princess doesn’t have a name,” she said. “I just call her Princess.”

  “We’ll be back soon, Princess,” Kirsty promised. She turned to Rachel and Aisha. “We should start by looking for Jack Frost. He and his goblins could be—”

  “Hey, quit poking me!” whined a scratchy voice.

  The girls froze. “Did you hear that?” Rachel asked.

  They heard more voices.

  “Ow!”

  “Knock it off!”

  “Those voices are coming from under the bed!” Kirsty cried. She ran to her bed and lifted up the bedspread. Two green goblin faces scowled back at her.

  “What are you doing here?” Kirsty demanded.

  The two goblins scrambled out from their hiding place.

  “We’re stealing your mattress!” one goblin replied.

  The other goblin nudged him. “Don’t tell them that!”

  “But it’s true!” said the other. “Anyway, Jack Frost asked us to steal it, so we have to. And don’t try to stop us!”

  The two goblins grabbed the mattress.

  “Oh, no you don’t!” Kirsty said.

  “That’s right! You get out of here!” added Rachel.

  The princess picked up her wet dress and waved it at them. “Get out of here! Shoo! Shoo!”

  The goblins swatted away the dress and grabbed the mattress out before the girls could react!

  “This is our mattress now,” they cackled, and ran out of the room.

  “Follow them!” Aisha cried. “They may lead us to Jack Frost!”

  The girls chased the goblins down the hallway. Aisha flew with them, her shimmering wings fluttering on her back.

  At the end of the hall, the goblins turned right. As the girls followed them around the corner, they saw the goblins push open a door into one of the bedrooms.

  “In there!” Kirsty yelled.

  The girls stopped at the door and peeked inside. Aisha hovered above them.

  Inside, Jack Frost was sitting at a dressing table. He held a big fluffy powder puff and was patting it against his long, pointy nose. A gold, heart-shaped locket hung around his neck from a gold chain.

  “That’s my magic locket!” Aisha whispered.

  “My skin is so delicate, soft, and sweet! Next I will powder my delicate feet!” Jack Frost was singing.

  “Sweet? Delicate?” Kirsty whispered out loud. “Him?”

  Jack Frost noticed the two goblins standing behind him.

  “Why are you just standing there?” he snapped. “And why don’t you have lots of more mattresses for me?”

  “Well, we got this one, but …” one goblin started to explain.

  “But what?” Jack Frost fumed. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. I need lots of mattresses so I can be the star of The Princess and the Pea fairy tale!”

  “It’s just as we thought,” Aisha whispered. “He wants to sleep on a tall stack of mattresses, just like the princess in the story.”

  “But where is he hiding them all?” Kirsty wondered.

  Just then, two more goblins carrying a mattress pushed past Kirsty and Rachel to get into the room.

  “Oh, good! This will just about do it!” Jack Frost said. “Now stand back.”

  The two goblins propped the mattress up against the wall and backed away from it. Jack Frost picked up his wand from the dresser and pointed it at the mattress.

  Poof! The mattress disappeared.

  “He’s sending them back to his castle,” Rachel guessed.

  “Now all of you, go get me more mattresses,” Jack Frost ordered. “I am busy getting my delicate skin nice and soft so that tonight, I will feel the pea under all of the mattresses. And when I do, the fairy tale will be known as Jack Frost and the Pea!”

  Aisha gasped. “I must get that locket from him!”

  “We’ll distract him,” Rachel said, and Kirsty nodded. Then the two girls ran into the room.

  “Stop right there, Jack Frost!” Kirsty demanded.

  “You!” Jack Frost cried. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

  “No!” Rachel said. “You stole Aisha’s locket and now you’re trying to steal a fairy tale. That’s not very nice.”

  Jack Frost stood up. “Oh, but it will be very nice! Children around the world will read Jack Frost and the Pea. I’ll be much better in the role than some silly princess.”

  Rachel and Kirsty watched Aisha fly behind Jack Frost so she could get the locket off his neck.

  “Princesses aren’t silly,” Rachel argued. “You’re the silly one if you think you can feel a pea under all of those mattresses.”

  “I will, once I am finished powdering my delicate skin,” Jack Frost said. He patted the powder puff against his n
ose again. A cloud of powder filled the air. It hit Aisha’s nose just as she was about to unlock the clasp.

  “Achoo!” Aisha sneezed.

  “What was that?” Jack Frost cried, spinning around. Then he saw Aisha. “Fairy!”

  “Give me my locket, Jack Frost!” Aisha said. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

  “Never!” Jack Frost cried. He clapped the puff against his hand, and another cloud of powder floated up. Aisha coughed and tumbled backward in the air.

  Then Jack Frost pointed his wand at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “I am tired of you two spoiling my plans!” he said. “I am going to poof you away from here so far that you will never get back. How do the icy plains of Antarctica sound?”

  He aimed his wand at the girls, and a blast of icy magic came out. But before it could touch them …

  Wham! The princess rushed into the room and tackled Rachel and Kirsty, knocking them out of the way of the magic blast. The blast hit the wall behind them.

  “Rats!” Jack Frost cried. “I am tired of everyone ruining my fun! It’s time to go star in my fairy tale!”

  Poof! He waved his wand once more and he and his goblins disappeared in a cloud of icy magic.

  Rachel and Kirsty got to their feet. Aisha shook her wings to get the powder off.

  “Sorry I knocked you down,” the princess said.

  “That’s okay. You saved us!” said Rachel. “But how did you find us?”

  “I saw two goblins walk past your room carrying a mattress,” she replied. “I thought that looked suspicious, so I followed them. Then I hung back to see what was happening.”

  “We’re glad you did,” Kirsty said. “So now what do we do?”

  “We must follow Jack Frost to his castle,” Aisha said, “and find some way to stop him before he changes the fairy tale forever. I will turn you girls into fairies so that you can go there.”

  “What about the princess?” Rachel asked.

  “She can stay here if she wants, but she doesn’t need to turn into a fairy to visit Fairyland,” Aisha replied.