out their supplies before working in peaceful silence.
Jacobi was struggling through the last of their mathematics homework when Kaelen asked impatiently, “Aren’t you done yet?”
Looking up from his paper, Jacobi could see that the others had already finished their homework. “Sorry,” he said with an apologetic smile, “math isn’t my strong suit. I’m almost done though. It’ll only be a couple minutes. Five tops.”
Kaelen sighed while Lucian replied, “It’s alright Jacobi. Take your time and get it done right the first time. Rushing doesn’t do anyone any good.” He shot a pointed look at Kaelen who had finished before anyone else had gotten near to being done. Kaelen shrugged his shoulders and Lucian couldn’t help but laugh. While Kaelen was certainly much better than he had been before winter break, there were some things that would obviously never change.
“There! I’m finished!” Jacobi exclaimed, shutting his book with a snap. “Now what should we do?”
“I’m voting for a game of tag,” Adrian said. He stood and lunged at Lucian, “And you’re it!”
The boys suddenly started running around. Calista watched from a window as the game continued. Soon, it wasn’t just the five friends playing, but dozens of boys in varying age groups running around trying to catch someone. She smiled as she watched the forging and breaking of alliances. What fun they were having! It reminded her of days long ago when she was a child playing with her brothers and sisters. She turned away from the window and resumed her work. Within a few days the boys would be meeting their princesses again and there was still planning to be done.
It wasn’t long before the sun started to dip below the horizon and the boys returned indoors for supper. Panting, Adrian said, “I told you tag would be fun.”
“You always think tag is fun,” Lucian teased. “You’re faster than the rest of us and we can rarely catch you.”
There was laughter and chatter as boys of all ages sat down to eat. At the end of the meal, Calista rose and reminded them that their princesses would be coming that Saturday. “We will be engaging in a scavenger hunt. Recall that as gentlemen you should absolutely be on your best behavior that day. You will, of course, be partnered with your princess for the day and lunch will have to be found. I shan’t reveal more now, but be prepared.” She smiled and dismissed them from the room.
“What did she mean, ‘Lunch will have to be found’?” George asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe we have to hunt for our own lunch,” Lucian suggested.
“That’s ridiculous,” Kaelen replied. “We don’t have the equipment for each of us to cook our own meal. Somehow I doubt the girls do either. In fact, half of them probably can’t cook!”
“Great, we’re going to starve,” Adrian moaned.
Jacobi laughed, “I hardly think she’ll let us starve, Adrian. I’m sure it’s part of the scavenger hunt. Maybe we have to find the serving utensils and such. I don’t know.”
“Whatever it means, we’ll find out soon enough,” Lucian said.
Saturday dawned with bright, warm sunlight streaming through the windows. Lucian woke up and stretched. Rusty looked up from the corner of his bed and yawned. “Well, you can go back to sleep,” Lucian said to him when he looked at Lucian as though to accuse him of waking him. “Some of us have things to do this morning.” He sighed as Lucian rubbed the top of his head.
“Lazy thing. You must be growing.” He got dressed before walking downstairs for breakfast. George was already there with Jacobi and Adrian. Kaelen had yet to arrive. Soon they were chatting and laughing as Kaelen walked in. “What took you? You’re normally one of the first ones here.”
“I know, but Rex isn’t looking very good. He wouldn’t touch his supper last night,” Kaelen said, his eyebrows drawn together in worry.
“You should take him to see Diana or Tallia. They would know how to help him,” George suggested.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s just having an off-day. Dogs have off-days too, right?”
“I really think you should do as George says,” Adrian insisted. “Diana would definitely know if it was just an off-day or if there’s really something seriously wrong. I mean, your dog is older than any of the rest of ours. He might be really sick. I’ll go with you.”
“No, I’ll go. Rex is my dog.” Without eating so much as a bite of his breakfast he got up from the table and walked to the staff table where Diana was talking to Clio Stormcloud, the history teacher. Kaelen cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Diana but I, I think Rex is sick. Can you come look at him?”
“Of course,” Diana replied. “Please excuse me, Clio.”
“Certainly. I hope Rex gets better soon, Kaelen,” she said.
Diana followed Kaelen up the stairs to his room, stopping only long enough to get Tallia. The three walked into the room. Rex was lying on his bed, whining softly. Diana and Tallia bent over him. Kaelen stood by the door. “Is he going to be okay?”
“How long has he been like this?” Tallia asked.
“He wouldn’t eat last night. I thought it was just that he wasn’t hungry. Is he okay?” he asked desperately.
Diana stood and walked to Kaelen, putting an arm around him. “I don’t know, Kaelen. We’ll do what we can for him but,” her voice trailed away.
Kaelen felt tears well up in his eyes. “I don’t want to see my princess.”
Diana smiled. “I’m sorry, Kaelen, but you know that isn’t possible. Tallia will take him to the infirmary and you can go to him as soon as the princesses leave. For now, you need to be strong. You need to be a gentleman.” She wiped away the tears that slid down his cheeks. “Chin up; we’ll do whatever we can to help.”
Tallia waved her wand which gently lifted Rex’s bed with him in it. She guided it down the stairs and into the infirmary. Kaelen walked next to Rex all the way, rubbing behind his ears the way he liked. Rex looked at him sadly. “It’s okay, boy,” Kaelen said. “Tallia will help you out and I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
When Kaelen returned, the princesses had already arrived. “You’re late,” Esmé sniffed.
Biting his tongue from saying what he really wanted to, Kaelen replied, “I apologize.”
“Well, let’s go with Rosemary and her prince.”
“No, I need to talk to my friends before our activity starts.”
She sputtered, “But Rosemary and whatever-his-name-is are our friends.”
“They’re your friends,” he argued. “Right now I really need to speak to my friends. So, we’re staying right here.”
Esmé turned a horrible shade of purple and then suddenly began to shriek. Everyone turned to her in shock. It didn’t take long for Calista and Melantha to appear. “What on earth is going on?” Melantha asked.
How anyone could understand what Esmé was saying was beyond Kaelen, but apparently the fairies took in every word. Calista asked, “Kaelen, is it true that you won’t let her see her friends?”
“Not exactly. I said I needed to talk to my friends. If she wanted to invite her friends to join us over here, that would be fine,” Kaelen replied.
“Liar,” Esmé sniffed. “You said they weren’t friends and treated them awfully.”
Kaelen could see that Melantha was used to such exaggeration, but that didn’t save him from a firm lecture. Angry, he walked towards Esmé’s rather cold circle.
He didn’t notice until a few moments later that the rest had followed him. “Hey, what did you need to talk about?” George asked.
“It’s Rex.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Lucian asked.
Kaelen shrugged. “Diana said she didn’t know. Tallia has him in the infirmary right now.”
Everyone turned to the front when Calista cleared her throat. “Good morning, everyone. Today’s activity is a scavenger hunt. Throughout the castle and grounds are hidden various items. Each prince will be given a list which will check itself when you find the items. He must work with his princess. Th
e first couple who finishes and returns will get a special prize. Use good sportsmanship and have fun! You may begin!” Calista raised her wand and dozens of lavender pieces of paper zipped through the air and landed in the princes’ outstretched hands.
Moira and Lucian scanned the list. “I think we should start inside,” he suggested.
“No, look everyone is starting inside. It’ll be crowded. We should start outside and then come in,” she explained.
“Good idea.” He and Moira walked outside and began searching for things that would definitely be outside. A certain tree in the forest, a plant in the witches’ garden, a rock near the lake. They worked in silence, seeming to communicate without words as one led and then the other. Lucian couldn’t think of a time when Moira had been more friendly or happy. There was a sparkle in those blue eyes he’d never seen before. For the first time, he noticed that she was pretty. He blushed as this thought came. Moira was a girl! He didn’t like girls.
Soon, they were inside the castle with only one item left. They knew other groups were close too. A competitive urgency filled them as they desperately tried to find “a hero remembered in the stars”. They’d gone to the astronomy tower, to the library, everywhere they could think of. Suddenly, Moira exclaimed, “I know where he is!” Not waiting for Lucian to follow, she started sprinting down the stairs. Lucian desperately tried to keep up. Panting, he caught up to her. She was standing excitedly next to a portrait of a Prince Charming, sword