Bella's Birthday Unicorn

by Jessica Burkhart

  “It’s perfect for your big day,” Queen Katherine said.

  Bella started to ask what was inside the box when her mom asked, “Would you like me to do your hair?”

  “Yes, please!” Bella said, checking her ruffled hair—definitely not parade worthy—in the mirror.

  She sat at the purple-velvet-cushioned chair with gold that twisted into vines to make the chair’s arms and legs. Her mom put the box on Bella’s bed.

  “Lyssa,” Queen Katherine said. “Feel free to leave and get yourself ready for the parade.”

  “Thank you, Queen Katherine,” Lyssa said. She bowed her head to the queen and winked at Bella as she left the room.

  Queen Katherine took a large brush and ran it through Bella’s hair, gently combing out the tangles. Bella watched in the mirror, hoping she’d be able to copy the look one day, but Queen Katherine was too fast. Within minutes, the queen had swept Bella’s hair into an elegant half-updo.

  “What do you think?” Bella’s mom asked.

  “I love it, Mom!” Bella said, looking at her hair in the mirror. “Thank you so much!”

  Bella started to get up, but her mom placed a hand on her shoulder. “There’s one more thing I need to do to finish your look,” Queen Katherine said.

  “Oh, okay.” Bella settled back into the chair.

  Queen Katherine appeared by Bella’s side with the mystery box in hand.

  “I think this will add a little sparkle,” the queen said.

  Bella turned in her chair, peeking into the box. Queen Katherine opened the lid and inside, resting on a blue pillow, was a glittering tiara. Not just any tiara either. Bella had a princess tiara that she wore during royal events and celebrations. This tiara was clearly made for Bella’s birthday.

  Bella’s mouth fell open “Wow,” she breathed. “I get to wear this tiara? Are you serious?” She clutched her chest and couldn’t stop herself from bouncing on her toes.

  Queen Katherine laughed. “Very serious. Your father and I went into the jewel vault this morning and retrieved it. This tiara was made the day you were born, and we’ve kept it under lock and key until your eighth birthday.”

  Bella stared at the diamonds, which shone and winked at her. The tiara had intricate swirls and curls that formed a heart at the center. A teardrop-shaped diamond dangled from the middle of the heart.

  Queen Katherine took the tiara from its pillow and carefully lowered it onto her daughter’s head. Bella couldn’t stop staring at it—it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

  “Now,” Queen Katherine said, meeting Bella’s gaze in the mirror, “you are ready for the parade.”

  Bella stared at herself in the mirror, trying to keep up her smile, but her chin wobbled.

  “Oh, sweetie,” her mom said. “What is wrong?”

  “Today would be perfect if Clara and Ivy were able to celebrate with me. I’m happy, Mom, but I’m sad they’re angry with me.”

  Queen Katherine leaned close to Bella’s ear. “I wasn’t going to say a word, but . . .”

  When the queen finished whispering in Bella’s ear, Bella let out a loud squeal.

  “Mom!” she said. “This is the most magical day of my whole life.”

  “I’m happy to hear it,” Queen Katherine said, smiling. “You deserve one day to have whatever you wish.”

  Bella squealed again and hugged her mom tight. Her birthday was off to a perfect start!

  5

  Parade Princess

  After one last check to make sure everything looked perfect, Princess Bella had dashed out of the castle and into a special carriage that took her to the start of her official birthday celebration.

  Queen Katherine, King Phillip, and Bella had taken the royal carriage they used only for special occasions. It was powered by Crystal’s pride and joy—the sun itself! The royal carriage needed only a royal driver to steer. The carriage glowed like a giant orb. Usually, Bella stared out the clear exterior with her nose pressed against the glass as they made their way down the winding roads from the castle to town. This time, she’d sat silent with her hands clasped in her lap. She was nervous and excited.

  The royal carriage stopped at the beginning of the parade route. Tons of people were already lined up behind the shield spell on either side of the cobblestone road.

  “Your mom and I will see you at the end of the parade, Bells,” King Phillip said. “Have fun!” Her mom kissed Bella’s cheek. “We’re heading to our float just in front of yours.”

  Bella stepped out of the royal carriage, and flashbulbs popped. Her parents exited the opposite side with royal security. They wanted all of the attention to be on Bella on her special day.

  Crystal’s weather seemed to know it was Bella’s birthday—sunlight beamed down, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was unseasonably warm.

  Just like her mom had taught her, Bella stopped and turned to wave at the newspaper and TV crews. A dozen or so men and women had notebooks, giant cameras and recorders, and microphones. It was a little scary, but Bella remembered the security guards at her sides and the shield spell.

  The location calmed Bella too. The royal carriage had stopped at the edge of town in a grassy field filled with daisies and clusters of wild tulips. Bella loved the pops of color. It looked like pieces of a rainbow had been sprinkled in the field! The parade floats had lined up, and Crystal’s police patrolled the area with fierce wolves. None of the wolves had teeth bared, so no danger was near.

  Now Bella could really see the sparkly line of the shield spell along the sides of the parade route. The spell glittered—a sign it had been cast by a royal—so none of the townspeople could break the barrier. Only a royal could disarm the spell.

  “Princess Bella! A photo for the Daily Crystal?” a man with a camera asked Bella with a smile.

  “Sure!” Bella said. The security guards moved off to the sides, and Bella smiled at the camera.

  More flashbulbs popped as other reporters crowded in to catch a shot of Bella. She stood for a moment to let everyone get a photograph. Bella jutted out a hip, putting her hand on her side, and grinned.

  “Thank you, Princess,” the reporter from the Daily Crystal said.

  Bella nodded. “Of course! I hope you got a good picture!” She may have spent her life growing up as a royal, but her parents had always been fiercely protective of her in the media. Until today, most of the media coverage centered on her parents.

  The reporters laughed. “It’s your birthday,” a woman said, adjusting the lens on her camera. “Pictures always come out good on someone’s birthday.”

  Bella looked at everyone, taking it all in. The Daily Crystal was on the breakfast table every morning, and usually the only royals in the paper were her parents. Now it was Bella’s turn.

  “A quick question, Princess?” the Daily Crystal reporter asked. He let his camera hang around his neck and pulled out a small notepad. “My name is Dan, by the way.”

  “Sure,” Bella said. “Pleased to meet you, Dan.”

  Inside, she smiled. Her parents would be so proud of her manners if they were here.

  “First, I would like to wish you a happy eighth birthday,” Dan said. “Second, I would like to know, what is your favorite part of this birthday?”

  Other reporters scrambled to get out their gadgets to catch Bella’s answer. Many of them pressed the bridge of their frameless glasses, and with the blink of a blue light, the glasses started recording wherever the reporter looked.

  “My favorite part is having no school,” Bella said. “So that I can spend the day with my best friends and family!”

  Someone tapped Bella on the shoulder, and she turned around. Bella grinned when she saw who they were.

  “You guys are here!” she said happily.

  Ivy and Clara had been escorted to Bella. The girls all hugged as cameras clicked and flashes went off, but Bella ignored the lights.

  “Your dress!” Clara said, her blue-green eyes
wide.

  “It’s so pretty!” Ivy added.

  “Thank you! You both look like princesses!” Bella told her friends.

  She said a silent thank-you to Queen Katherine. Only the queen would be able to get beautiful dresses for Bella’s best friends and make sure the girls could accompany Bella on her royal float.

  “Can we talk to you for a minute?” Ivy asked.

  “Please,” Clara added. “We know you’re busy, but we have to talk to you.”

  Bella nodded and took Ivy and Clara by their elbows and led them away from the crowd. She pulled them into a clear tent—it had been concocted with a sunshield spell. They could see out of the walls, but no one could see in. The sunshield spell gave the people a break from the sun if they entered.

  Ivy and Clara hung their heads.

  “Bella,” Ivy said. “Clara and I are so sorry for what we said to you at lunch.”

  Clara nodded. “Ivy and I know that you’re a princess and it would be silly of us to think you could change a tradition that has been in place for hundreds of years.”

  “But you did,” Ivy said. “Your mom called our moms and told them how you wouldn’t have a good birthday without your best friends.”

  Bella blinked fast, holding back tears. “I couldn’t imagine spending today with you two mad at me and not in the parade or coming to my party tonight.”

  “Ivy and I were awful to you,” Clara admitted. “But you and your mom not only got invites for us to be in the parade, but your mom also got us these amazing dresses.”

  “My mom did the whole thing,” Bella said. “She told me at the last minute that you two were coming and asked if I wanted to help choose your dresses. At first, I thought she was kidding! You both were so mad at me that I didn’t think you’d even want to come to the parade.”

  “We acted like spoiled brats,” Ivy said. “We always wanted to be with you on your birthday.” She smiled. “Especially in dresses like these!”

  “Ivy,” Bella said, “I chose that emerald dress just for you because I know it’s your favorite color.”

  Ivy’s mouth opened and closed.

  Bella turned to Clara. “I picked plum for you because it’s your favorite fruit. I wanted to have a rose on the neckline because you love roses so much.”

  “I love my dress,” Ivy said softly. “And I’m so sorry.”

  “Me too,” Clara said.

  “Though I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t like either of us right now,” Ivy interjected.

  Bella half smiled and shook her head. “That’s silly. Of course I still like you both. You’re my best friends.”

  “We didn’t act like it,” Ivy said. “This is your day, Bella, and I’m so sorry I did something to make it less special.”

  “I’m sorry, Bella,” Clara said. “Really sorry—I’m glad one of my best friends is a princess. I’m okay that I’m not one. But like the type of friend you are, you found a way to make Ivy and me feel like princesses too.”

  Bella’s friends lowered their eyes and stared at the stones beneath their feet. Even though she was still a little hurt, Bella didn’t want them fighting, and she certainly didn’t want anything to be off with the three of them for the rest of her birthday.

  “Hugs, already!” Bella said. She opened her arms.

  Clara and Ivy looked up at Bella, their eyes wide. Squealing, they almost knocked her over with a giant bear hug. They pulled apart and smiled at each other.

  “I need bestie power right now,” Bella said. “All I can think about is the Unicorn Pairing Ceremony.”

  “You’ve got it,” Clara said. “But are you sure that you still want us to come over?” She fidgeted with the front of her dress.

  “Yes, are you sure?” Ivy asked. “Clara and I talked about it on the ride over. You know that we are a million percent happy for you, right? We know we’re not princesses, but we’re not jealous of you, Bella. We would never be. You’re our BFF, and we really want to come to the castle and party with you!”

  Tears filled Bella’s eyes. She didn’t want her nose to turn red, like it always did when she cried, but she couldn’t stop a tear from falling.

  “Bella! Don’t cry!” Clara said. “Is something else wrong?”

  “Nothing—everything is so perfect,” Bella said. “I knew you guys wouldn’t be jealous, but a tiny part of me was scared that you would be. I don’t want to lose you as my best friends just because of this silly princess thing.”

  “Never!” Ivy and Clara said at the same time.

  All three girls laughed.

  “You’re stuck with us,” Clara said.

  “Forever,” Ivy added.

  Giggling, the three girls hugged again.

  6

  Smile and Wave!

  Bella smiled as she walked toward her float. Security, almost enough for a royal wedding, walked beside her. The fight with her friends had been a nightmare. Now, everything could be about including Ivy and Clara.

  Bella spotted her float before the guards could point it out. The second float in line shimmered and glowed with lavender and sky-blue lights and flowers. Light-blue fog settled above the float and sheer purple fog stretched around the bottom. Four tall posts, mimicking a canopy bed, had light-purple tulle draped from each of them and across the top of the float. At the front, lights in cursive script blinked HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS!

  An oversize throne in the middle of the float was just the right size to fit Bella, Ivy, and Clara. Bella knew from past parades that the floats were all preprogrammed to follow the parade route.

  “Princess, please allow me to help you and your friends aboard,” one of the guards said.

  In no time Bella, Clara, and Ivy stood on the float. The girls grinned at each other. They had been instructed to keep a hand on the railing unless they were seated. Bella stood at the front of the float and Ivy and Clara were on opposite sides, practicing their parade waves. Bella had never seen bigger smiles on her friends’ faces.

  “It’s time!” a man with a bullhorn called from atop a prancing unicorn. “People of Crystal, please join me in wishing Princess Bella a happy birthday! Let the parade begin!”

  Queen Katherine and King Phillip’s float lifted a few inches above the ground, hovering, and started forward. The king and queen stood at the front of their elegant red-and-gold float and began waving as soon as they reached the start of the crowd.

  Here we go! Bella thought excitedly.

  There was a crackle in the air and thousands of tiny lights—like fireflies—appeared at each corner of Bella’s float. The lights whirled in circles and propelled the float forward. The cheers of the crowd grew louder and louder. Bella wondered if people in the next kingdom could hear the people chanting, “Happy birthday, Princess!” Nerves rumbled in Bella’s stomach. I can do this, she told herself. Just smile and wave! That’s it!

  Ivy and Clara reached into the large buckets that hung beside them and grabbed handfuls of candy, including Sunstix—a stick of candy that glowed in the dark and did the same to the person’s tongue!

  They tossed the treats into the crowd. Bella smiled as she watched little kids chase after the scattered candy. Watching them made her nerves evaporate. She dipped a hand into her own bucket and threw a bunch of sweets toward a group of young girls. The girls held a sign with glittery pink letters spelling WE ♥ PRINCESS BELLA! When they saw Bella had noticed the float, the girls released the sign, and the letters floated into the air before disappearing with a poof over the crowd and raining silver sparkles.

  Behind the royal floats, royal soldiers led fierce wolves that performed tricks for the audience. All kinds of instruments floated down the parade route playing upbeat music. Bella couldn’t see the performers, but she knew fire eaters, enchanted animals, and spell casters walked the route and entertained the crowd. Security guards walked beside the royal family. This is a lot of security, even for a royal parade! Bella thought. But the king and queen had always gone overboard on sa
fety measures for Bella.

  Bella’s float wound along the parade route, and there wasn’t one empty spot behind the shield spell. Princess Bella tossed as much candy as she could and waved and smiled for pictures. She looked behind her at Ivy and Clara. Both girls furiously tossed candy to keep up with the outstretched hands.

  “This is so crazy!” Clara shouted to Bella.

  “And ridiculously fun!” Ivy added.

  “I’m so glad you’re both here,” Bella said.

  “Happy birthday, Princess!” someone called from the crowd. A familiar voice.

  She scanned the rows of people and saw Lyssa smiling and waving at her. Bella waved furiously at Lyssa and almost hopped up and down at seeing her friend in the crowd.

  She took a deep breath, wanting to remember the moment forever, and glanced up at the sky. And noticed something odd.

  Bella blinked and shut her eyes, hoping when she opened them that what she had seen would be gone. But there it was—a giant, billowing plume of red smoke. The float turned a corner, and Bella realized where that smoke was coming from.

  The Dark Forest.

  7

  Parade Panic

  As soon as the crowd caught sight of the smoke, panic spread from person to person. People were pointing and shouting, Bella’s celebration temporarily forgotten.

  Any activity from the Dark Forest and the Blacklands was not good. Bella didn’t know much about the Dark Forest or the Blacklands, but she did know one thing: Never go there. She had been taught since she could walk that the Blacklands and Dark Forest were dangerous and she was never to set foot on those grounds bordering Crystal. Bella had heard rumors about an evil queen ruling the lands, but her parents always said the same thing when she confronted them: “We’ll tell you about it when you’re older.”

  She really wanted to talk to her mom and dad, but they had their heads together on their float a few feet in front. The princess gripped the float’s railing tightly, in shock that this was happening on her big day. Was that why there was extra security? Bella wondered.