Bella's Birthday Unicorn Read online

  Her throat was tight. The visit from Queen Fire had rattled her, even though the rest of the evening had been perfect.

  “I knew a bad queen lived in the Blacklands and ruled the Dark Forest, but I’ve never heard the name ‘Queen Fire.’ Until tonight,” Bella began.

  Suddenly the questions came to her mind rapid-fire.

  “Mom, what happened to her? Why is she evil? Why didn’t you and Dad tell me? Is she dangerous?” The questions tumbled out of Bella’s mouth.

  Queen Katherine took a deep breath. “Bella, this was not something your father and I intended to keep from you forever. We knew you would eventually learn about Queen Fire from a classmate or research. Your father and I always wanted the truth to come from us.”

  King Phillip nodded. “Queen Fire—Fawn—is your mother’s fraternal twin sister. We do not speak of her because, yes, she is evil and she does have a grudge against our family.”

  “Why?” Bella asked.

  “On our eighth birthday,” Queen Katherine started, “Fawn and I were best friends. As close as sisters could be. We were both excited for our Pairing Ceremony that night, and I went first. My aura, as you know, turned green and I was gifted with Kiwi.”

  Pain flicked across the queen’s face. “My sister’s aura turned red. The first royal in history to have that color aura. It was something my parents had only read about in Crystal lore as a color of evil and darkness.”

  “Oh no,” Bella whispered. “Did Queen Fire find a red unicorn that night?”

  “No.” Queen Katherine shook her head. “Red auras in unicorns do not naturally exist. My sister also became the first royal not to be Paired. She changed that day. The fun, caring sister I’d grown up with was gone. In her place was someone angry and jealous.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Bella said softly.

  Queen Katherine lifted her head, looking out across the castle grounds at the fireflies that sparkled in the night. “At fourteen, my sister left the castle and never came back. I reached out to her, but she didn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “Queen Fire,” King Phillip said, squeezing the queen’s hand, “began stealing royal unicorns—the special, highly trained ones that aren’t Paired with a royal—and built a castle in the Dark Forest.”

  “What happens to the unicorns?” Bella asked.

  “My sister’s aura, which has now shifted to black, poisons the unicorns’ minds,” the queen explained. “They become angry, dangerous creatures. I think Fawn continues to steal unicorns because she never got one as a child.”

  Bella didn’t know what to say. Red auras. Black auras. An evil queen who was her aunt.

  Horror struck deep in Bella’s stomach.

  “Mom, Dad,” she said. “What if . . . what if my aura is red?”

  “No!” the king and queen immediately chorused.

  “No, Bella,” Queen Katherine repeated firmly. “That will not happen. My sister must have had something dark within her long before her Pairing Ceremony. You are my daughter—you are one of the most compassionate girls I’ve ever known, and I am sure you will not reveal a red aura.”

  King Phillip put a hand on Bella’s knee. “Your mother is right. Fawn was a troubled girl who hid it very well from her sister and parents. You’re nothing like that, Bella.”

  “My sister has nothing to lose, so she came here tonight to cause worry and doubt in your mind,” Queen Katherine added. “Her own eighth birthday was so unhappy that she wants to make yours that way as well. Don’t let her get to you.”

  Almost as if on cue, a unicorn whinnied from the stables.

  Bella took a deep breath, nodding, and tried to believe her parents. She crossed all her fingers that a red aura wouldn’t appear when she began the Pairing Ceremony. She didn’t know what she would do if—

  “Are you ready, sweetie?”

  King Phillip’s voice cut through Bella’s thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed that he and her mom had risen and were standing in front of her.

  Bella nodded, slipping a sweaty hand into her dad’s free cool hand. In the other, he carried a book—a very old-looking book.

  The family approached the royal stables. It was one of Bella’s favorite places on the castle grounds. Floodlights lit the stable yard and the stable entrance. The pastel-green paint on the stable’s outside reminded of Bella of mint chocolate chip ice cream because of the black stable roof. All of the unicorns had been tucked away in their stalls for the night.

  “Greetings, King Phillip, Queen Katherine,” Frederick, the stable manager, said. “And happiest of birthdays to you, Princess Bella.”

  Bella’s smile was wobbly. “Thank you,” she said to the tall, brown-haired man.

  “Follow me, please,” Frederick said.

  Frederick led Bella and her parents to a large arena inside the stable. The glass windows, usually where Bella loved to watch the unicorns’ training, had been sprayed a frosty white. Bella couldn’t see inside.

  “The glass is frosted for your privacy during the ceremony,” Frederick explained, as if he had read Bella’s thoughts.

  Frederick opened a door, bowing his head and waving for the royal family to enter ahead of him.

  “You first, honey,” King Phillip said. He released Bella’s hand. Bella didn’t realize how hard she’d been squeezing it!

  She took a giant breath and walked across the dirt-covered floor. Ten gorgeous white unicorns stood in a line in front of her, each one held by a stable groom. The unicorns almost shimmered. Their manes and tails looked like silk and had a slight curl at the ends. A horn poked from under each unicorn’s forelock—the mane across the unicorn’s forehead. The horns weren’t very long, since these were young unicorns. But each horn had a very pointed tip. A line etched into the horn swirled from the base to the top.

  Frederick, Queen Katherine, and King Phillip formed a line next to Bella.

  “Bella,” Frederick said.

  Bella tore her eyes away from the unicorns. “Yes?” she asked, looking past her mom.

  “As the royal tradition goes, you are to start at the beginning of the unicorn line and make your way to the end. You will only need to pause for a second or two in front of each unicorn before the unicorn’s aura color is revealed.”

  “My aura hasn’t shown,” Bella said, biting her bottom lip. “When will it?”

  Frederick and Bella’s parents smiled.

  “Don’t worry, Bella.” King Phillip smiled. “Your aura will appear after I read a short passage from Crystal’s Royal Book. Then you will approach the unicorns.”

  “Bella, please stand before your father and me,” Queen Katherine said.

  Bella clasped her hands together and tried to stop her knees from shaking. She moved in front of her parents, and Frederick stood off to the side.

  King Phillip carefully opened the dark-brown book with the royal family crest on the front. He stopped on a page bordered in gold and looked up at Bella. Queen Katherine put an arm through one of King Phillip’s arms and gave her daughter a reassuring smile. “You’re ready,” the queen mouthed.

  My stomach doesn’t feel ready! Bella thought. Her heart sounded like it was in her ears.

  “Princess Isabella,” King Phillip said formally. He spoke with his this-is-very-important voice, like he had used during the parade.

  “On April thirteenth,” King Phillip continued, “this day in the Crystal Kingdom, you have reached the age of eight. With this birthday comes immense responsibility. You, as your royal ancestors before you, are about to participate in your Unicorn Pairing Ceremony.”

  Bella felt as though her dad was speaking another language for a moment. Or talking about someone else. I can’t believe this is my ceremony, she thought.

  “As the only princess of Crystal,” King Phillip said, “you must acknowledge that you are in a place of great power and responsibility. Your kingdom looks up to you as its princess. If you feel that you are too young for anyone to look up to, this is untrue. Y
our actions will be watched with closer scrutiny by your kingdom. Your mother and I expect you to remember this and to be a kind, compassionate, relatable royal. Are you able to fulfill these duties, Princess Bella?”

  “Yes, Father,” Bella answered. It didn’t seem like the time to say “Dad.”

  King Phillip smiled. “Wonderful. It is with great pleasure that your mother and I bestow upon you a chance to find a unicorn that matches your aura. This unicorn will serve not only as your unicorn to ride but as your lifelong protector. The unicorn Paired to you, Princess Bella, will be attuned to any danger around you and will fight to ensure your safety.”

  King Phillip closed the book and handed it to Frederick. He took Queen Katherine’s hand.

  “Princess Bella,” Queen Katherine said, “please bow your head and repeat after me.”

  Bella dipped her head. This is really happening! she screamed to herself. She wanted to break into a dance from nerves and excitement.

  “I, Princess Bella,” Queen Katherine said.

  “I, Princess Bella,” Bella repeated.

  “Ask my aura to reveal itself,” the queen said.

  Bella repeated the line.

  “And wish it to glow while I seek my unicorn match,” Queen Katherine said.

  “And wish it to glow while I seek my unicorn match,” Bella said.

  “Aura, please present yourself now,” Queen Katherine said.

  Goose bumps covered Bella’s arms.

  “Aura, please present yourself now,” Bella said.

  “Raise your head, Princess Bella,” instructed Queen Katherine.

  Bella lifted her head. Only seconds had passed, but it felt like hours to her. Nothing appeared.

  “Mom,” Bella said, panic in her voice.

  Before she could say another word, Bella felt a . . . tingle coursing through her body. She blinked fast as a light haze appeared before her. She looked down as the mist covered her hands, arms, and the rest of her body. She could feel it—her aura was about to appear!

  The shimmery white soon tinted with the palest hint of lavender and kept getting darker and darker until it stopped at a royal purple.

  “Ohhh!” Bella said, gasping. “It’s not red!” She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. She grinned instead.

  “Bella! Darling, your aura is beautiful!” Queen Katherine said. Bella saw tears in her mother’s eyes.

  “Honey, that color is perfect for you,” King Phillip agreed.

  “It’s so pretty!” Bella exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her and trying to touch the mist. But her fingers swiped right through the aura. “And it’s one of my favorite colors!”

  “Princess Bella,” Frederick said. “Congratulations on your aura. It is time for you to meet the ten awaiting unicorns.”

  Frederick offered Bella his arm, and she took it. He led her to the beginning of the unicorn line. The king and queen tightly clasped their hands together at their sides.

  Bella’s pulse pounded in her ears. Just because your aura isn’t red doesn’t mean any of the unicorns will match, she reminded herself.

  “Princess?” Frederick snapped Bella back to reality.

  “Yes, I’m sorry,” Bella said.

  “Whenever you are ready, please begin the Pairing Ceremony,” Frederick said.

  Bella looked at the gorgeous unicorns. The creatures, like their grooms, stared straight ahead and didn’t move. Not so much as a tail swished. Bella knew how much careful selection and training this group of unicorns had gone through to be here as potential candidates.

  This was it.

  Bella let go of Frederick’s arm and took a few first shaky steps. She reached the first unicorn and stopped in front of it. She glanced into the unicorn’s liquid brown eyes. Are you my match? Bella thought.

  A soft pink haze spread quickly over the unicorn from head to tail. Disappointment gripped Bella’s stomach. It’s only your first unicorn, she told herself. There are nine more.

  The groom holding the pink-aura unicorn led it away from the line and out of the arena.

  Bella stepped in front of the second unicorn. Green.

  The third unicorn turned purple before Bella even came to a full stop in front of it.

  Nerves made Bella’s stomach flip-flop. She glanced at her parents. They both nodded, encouraging her with smiles.

  Bella tried to smile back, but she was too nervous. If I don’t get a unicorn even though my aura isn’t red, what will happen? she thought. There won’t be another Pairing Ceremony.

  Bella lifted her head and smoothed her dress as she stepped to the fourth unicorn. The beautiful creature blinked as a yellow haze covered its body.

  The fifth unicorn turned dark blue. Bella sniffed hard, determined not to cry. But I’m halfway through, she thought. She forced her feet forward to the sixth unicorn, almost not stopping. I know there won’t be a match, Bella said to herself.

  Her eyes were on the seventh unicorn when she heard gasps from her parents and Frederick.

  Bella looked at the unicorn beside her. The gorgeous animal’s white body had covered itself in a white mist that was turning light purple. The purple deepened just like Bella’s aura. Bella’s heart seemed to stop—she waited for the aura to keep darkening, but nothing happened.

  The aura began to float from the hindquarters forward. Bella’s mouth was open as the aura floated over the unicorn’s body and disappeared into the unicorn’s horn. Before Bella could blink, the last bit of the haze vanished into the horn, and it twinkled with a violet light before turning back to white. Bella’s aura evaporated along with the unicorn’s. A purple tint remained in the unicorn’s mane and tail.

  “Oh!” Bella exclaimed. She threw her arms around the unicorn’s neck. The unicorn’s coat was soft, and it smelled like sweet hay. “You’re my match!” Bella’s eyes filled with tears, and she couldn’t stop hugging her unicorn.

  The groom holding the unicorn bowed his head. “Congratulations, Princess Bella. This guy is incredibly lucky to have you.” He handed her a leather lead line—a tool for Bella to guide her unicorn. It was attached to a matching headpiece—a halter—that ran across the unicorn’s muzzle and up behind his ears. The unicorn nuzzled Bella’s neck. She giggled at the warm breath on her neck and the unicorn’s tickly whiskers.

  Her parents rushed over and threw their arms around Bella.

  “Oh, sweetie!” Queen Katherine said. She hugged Bella extra hard. “What a perfect match!”

  “You’ve got quite a unicorn here,” King Phillip said. He reached out to the unicorn, who stuck her muzzle out for a rub.

  A few happy tears slid down Bella’s cheeks. “I was so scared! I didn’t think any of them would match me!” The unicorn nudged Bella’s arm and blinked at her with warm brown eyes. It was almost as if she was saying, Don’t cry. “You’re such a good girl,” Bella said.

  “You’ll have to think of a name,” said Queen Katherine.

  “I’ve had eight years to think,” Bella said. “I already know.”

  She looked at the unicorn before her—all hers—and grinned. “Her name is Glimmer,” Bella said.

  “Well, Glimmer,” King Phillip said happily. “Welcome to our family!”

  Bella threw her arms around Glimmer’s neck, never wanting to let go.

  HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK AT BELLA AND GLIMMER’S NEXT ADVENTURE:

  Where’s Glimmer?

  “Glimmer!” Princess Bella yelled before she burst into giggles. The princess’s unicorn picked up the brush from Bella’s hand and held it in her mouth. The shimmery white unicorn shook her head, sending her purple-tinted mane flying. It was like she was teasing Bella. “Are you excited because it’s Saturday and I have all weekend to spend with you?” Bella asked.

  “She’s sneaky,” said Ben, a boy only a few years older than Bella. Glimmer reached out her muzzle, offering Ben the brush. He took the brush, grinning. Ben had arrived a couple of days after Bella had been Paired with Glimmer. He was the n
ephew of Frederick, the stable manager, and he had come from the neighboring kingdom of Foris as an apprentice of his uncle. It was up to him to teach Bella about unicorn care and riding. More important, he had been assigned to help Bella and Glimmer prepare for their upcoming Crystal Kingdom debut.

  It was a beautiful, sunny day in Crystal Kingdom, the land ruled by Bella’s parents, King Phillip and Queen Katherine. The air smelled like honeysuckle and roses. Ben had secured Glimmer to a post just outside the royal stables with a shimmering rainbow-colored rope that was also used to help lead her around. Bees and butterflies flitted through the air, looking like confetti. A few of the bees flashed neon yellow, almost like a flashlight being turned on and off. That meant the bees had sensed pollen in the air and were headed toward a sweet-smelling flower.

  The butterflies in Crystal Kingdom were more beautiful than any others in the neighboring kingdoms. Crystal butterflies had wings lined with teensy sparkles that flashed and glittered like diamonds in the sunlight.

  “Thank you for showing me how to keep Glimmer clean, Ben,” Bella said, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She eyed Glimmer—her very own unicorn—who had been a gift on her eighth birthday. A gift per royal tradition, of course. The unicorn’s coat was super shiny, and her mane and tail were silky after Ben had helped Bella comb them.

  “No problem, Princess Bella,” Ben said.

  “Ben, please,” Bella said. “Just call me Bella.”

  “Okay, Prin—I mean, Bella.” Ben smiled at her.

  “Do you like taking care of the unicorns?” Bella asked Ben.

  Most people did not have a unicorn. It was law in Crystal Kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms that the best unicorns were saved for the royal stables. Other unicorns ran free, and it was against the law for a commoner to capture one.

  Ben laughed, looking at Bella. “I love it,” he said. “Uncle Frederick has taught me so much already. I don’t know much about the royal customs, but I do know about unicorns.”

  “Did you know someone royal in Foris?” Bella asked.