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  How could Ozette tell the princess such terrible news? She bit her lip with her sharp teeth and took a deep breath. The princess pushed her silver hair back from her shoulders and fastened it with a comb that she took from a pocket in her lavender dress and waited patiently for Ozette to speak.

  Ozette told her about Boardmore’s visit to the forest with his brother. At first she spoke haltingly, but soon her words tumbled over one another like stones cascading down a mountain.

  “We’ve got to stop them,” Ozette said, wringing her paws. “But how?”

  The princess stood, smoothing her dress. “Stay put. I’m going to fix us some lavender flower lemonade.”

  Ozette shook her head, and the princess looked at her sternly.

  “Ozette, this is not going to happen. Trust me on this. We just need to keep our wits about us and have a plan. Do you understand? This. Is. Not. Going. To. Happen!”

  She turned on her heel and went into her kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

  Chapter Two

  In the Beginning

  Ozette sat on the swing, letting the to and fro motion calm her squirrelly mind. Surely the princess would know how to stop the brothers.

  In a few minutes, the princess reappeared carrying a tray with two glasses of lavender lemonade and a plate of fresh fruit. Ozette eyed the sweating glasses thirstily, took one and let the droplets cool her hot paws.

  She drank deeply, feeling better for having shared her terrifying experience. Ozette bit daintily into a strawberry, savoring its sweetness on her tongue. She fed Cassady a dog biscuit from a plate on the table, and the dog gobbled it then looked to Ozette for more.

  The princess sat next to Ozette, helping herself to a handful of fresh blueberries that she had plucked from her bushes. She tucked her bare feet underneath her.

  “How much do you know about the realm of Farland and the territory of Farlandia?” she asked Ozette.

  Ozette shook her head. “Not anything really. I just know that the golden acorn my grandmother gave me led me here…”

  “Let me tell you a story,” the princess said, ignoring Ozette’s look of impatience. “It’s important that you have some background on Boardmore and the queen. You do know that Queen Beatrix and I are sisters, don’t you?”

  Ozette nodded.

  Princess Abrianna took another drink of lemonade, and then she wiped her mouth with a pale yellow lace-trimmed napkin.

  “Many eons ago in Earth World,” she began, “there lived fairies, elves and humans. Now the humans revered elves and fairies as they had magical abilities and, over time, some of them intermarried. As time went on, unfortunately, many of these half-human fairy folks took on the worst of the human traits. Wars, greed, hatred, power struggles and destruction of the natural world became commonplace.

  “Years passed, and more and more of these hybrids took on the humans’ less desirable traits. A council was held, and it was decided that those who clung to the old ways–even if they were part human–would establish a new land, a land of peace, harmony and kindness. Koshi WorldDreamer and a group of full-blooded elves and fairies led this movement. Their magical abilities meant they could envision a new world, dream it, and it would come into being. Ozette, that’s how this world was created. It was literally thought into existence.”

  Ozette’s mouth dropped open. Thinking a world into existence!

  The princess smiled. “Amazing, isn’t it? The castle, the lavish furnishings, all of it was thought into existence by Koshi WorldDreamer and the other elves. Farlandia was created as a perfect example of an ancient, unspoiled forest. Most of the pure fairies and elves chose to live in Farlandia.”

  “So...This isn’t real? It’s just a dream? Am I just a dream?” Ozette asked, puzzled.

  The princess shook her head and pinched Ozette’s paw.

  “Ouch!” a startled Ozette cried, withdrawing her paw.

  “This is all real, very real, Ozette,” the princess said, patting Ozette’s paw. Her paw quit smarting instantly.

  Ozette nodded, her dark eyes wide in amazement. “How did it get the name Farland?”

  Princess Abrianna smiled. “That’s pure elf sense of humor. You see, Ozette, Farland is as close to the world of humans as is the blood running through their veins. Because humans can’t always see what’s right in front of them, Koshi WorldDreamer named it Farland because it might as well be a distant planet as far as most humans are concerned. Farlandia simply means the far reaches of Farland.”

  “How did you and the animals get here? I never saw unicorns in Earth World,” Ozette said, licking strawberry juice from her paws.

  “Oh, they’re there, Ozette. As humans became more interested in material goods and power, they lost the ability to see some of the creatures. Word spread through an underground network that many of the animals were leaving Earth World, and animals of all species asked to leave and come to Farland too. Unicorns and elves were not winged in Earth World, but they were granted wings as a special gift when they came here.

  “Many of our family members were prominent magicians. Shape-shifting, magical spells, Earth magic in all its forms were practiced.” The princess paused long enough to drink more lemonade. “My sister and I came here early on in its settlement.”

  “When did this all happen?” Ozette asked, looking puzzled.

  “Long, long ago. Centuries actually,” the princess answered, knowing what Ozette would ask next.

  “But...but...you’re not that old!” Ozette sputtered.

  “Ozette, when we left Earth World, the rules changed for those of us who continued to cling to the old ways. No one here–human or animal–will ever age or die. We can injure ourselves, but we have healing herbs and other remedies for injuries. At some point, we may choose to go to yet another world, especially if one species begins to overpopulate, but the animals here are very aware of how many creatures the land can support. But we never die,” the princess said. “Unless, of course, someone kills one of us. But that should never happen here.” A look of alarm crossed the princess’s face, but she hid it with a quick smile.

  Ozette’s mouth dropped open. She’d not considered her own life or death since she’d left Earth World.

  “Let me continue,” the princess said. “Unless you’re an animal, in order to slip through the veil that separates Earth World from the mystical worlds, you must be at least half fairy or elf. Many of the hybrid humans had no interest in a new world, and we wanted only compassionate, peaceful, loving inhabitants in Farland.

  “Wait a minute. If you had to be at least half fairy, how come you’re human? You are human, aren’t you? ”Ozette peered closely at her friend.

  Princess Abrianna laughed. “I’m half human, half fairy. I get whatever Earth wisdom I may have and magical gifts from the fairies. I get my size from my human ancestors. If you think back to Earth World, you’ll remember that the humans there tend to be much bigger than the humans are here.” The princess leaned forward, and Ozette noticed that her ears were slightly pointed.

  Ozette gasped, finding all of this difficult to absorb. “But what about Annika, Sydney, Ariel and my other fairy friends? And Oliver, Mateo and Barnaby—my elf friends? They’re much smaller than you are, smaller even than me,” Ozette said, looking baffled.

  “They’re not hybrids, Ozette. Remember, we get our size from our human relatives.”

  Ozette thought for a moment. “But I’m not a fairy. How did I get here?”

  The princess smiled. “Animals are born with pure hearts. Pure hearts are always welcome here, but they need a guide. Your grandmother, the Divine Miss Piddlewinks, was your guide. Remember?”

  “Ohhhh,” said Ozette, starting to understand.

  “How did meanies like Boardmore and Smiley get here?” Her stomach clenched at the mere mention of their names.

  The princess shook her head sadly. “That was a horrible mistake. Koshi WorldDreamer and many of the other pure elves and fairies left Farland after
they had created it to their satisfaction. They moved on to create other worlds. Koshi WorldDreamer crowned Beatrix Farland’s queen before he left. We’d discussed who was better suited to be queen, Beatrix or me, but I had no interest in being a ruler. My love is nature and working with my herbs and...other things.

  “The queen and her advisors journey to Earth World regularly to check on the state of that world and to keep track of family still there. Boardmore and Smiley are actually a part of our linage. We consider them our cousins. When they were young, the queen and I used to travel to Earth World and visit them. Then their mother was killed in a tragic accident. They had a rough time after she died. She was a kind, gentle woman who tried to teach the boys to love nature.

  The princess paused to sip her lemonade. She took Ozette’s paw in her hand.

  “Their father is a brutish man who wanted his boys to be tough and strong. No tears allowed. He saw nature as something to be exploited, to use as he wanted. With only his influence, the boys became selfish, only caring about what they wanted. They lack compassion and appreciation for nature. They shouldn’t have been allowed to come to Farland.”

  Ozette bit into a blueberry and was quiet for a few seconds. “So why were they allowed to come here?”

  “Several of my sister’s advisors took pity on them and, knowing they wanted to come here, begged her to let them in. I think the boys fooled them into thinking they had changed,” the princess explained. “So she let them come here. Please don’t judge the queen harshly. You know, Ozette, the queen loves Duchess Zorina like a child, and the dog had just injured her leg jumping off of the bed. The queen was so upset. She was also spending a lot of time working with Koshi WorldDreamer; she wasn’t thinking clearly and allowed them passage to Farland. She’s regretted it ever since. I was traveling at the time, so I was not here to advise her. Boardmore and Smiley haven’t changed. They’ll never fit in here. Our way of life is totally foreign to them. Now they’re plotting behind our backs.”

  “Why can’t the queen just send them back to Earth World?” Ozette asked hopefully.

  “That’s easier said than done,” the princess said thoughtfully. “We want to remain true to the values that led us here. We would never resort to force, but there may be a way to thwart their plans.”

  “We have to!” Ozette interrupted frantically. “I can’t stand to see Farlandia destroyed.”

  “We need to visit Queen Beatrix and tell her what’s going on. Let me call Maxwell.” The princess cupped her hands and called, “Otisseeniwoofiamee.” She waited a couple of heartbeats and called again.

  “Now we wait. The wind will carry our message to Maxwell,” she said.

  Ozette picked absently at the platter of fruit, wishing Maxwell would hurry. Princess Abrianna fed Cassady while Ozette paced. Soon they heard the beating of heavy wings. Ozette shaded her eyes and looked heavenward. She caught her breath as she always did when she saw the jet-black, flying unicorn descend.

  The magnificent beast trotted over to Ozette and the princess and bowed his head.

  “At your service,” he said, shaking his mane.

  “Please, Maxwell, take us to the castle,” the princess said.

  Maxwell cocked his head. “Sounds important,” he said, sniffing the still air. “Anything I can help you with?”

  Ozette admired and liked Maxwell, but she’d learned the hard way that he was a terrible gossip. She gave the princess a warning look, but the princess only shook her head saying, “We just want to discuss some issues with my sister.”

  Maxwell snorted, knelt down, and the princess and squirrel climbed onto his sleek back.

  “Hang on!” he called as he flapped his wings and slowly, ever so slowly, took to the air.

  The wind tickled Ozette’s ears, and she held onto Maxwell’s mane, remembering the first time she had flown on the winged unicorn. She was with DZ then, returning the lost dog to the queen. As a reward, the queen had deeded Farlandia to itself and made Ozette its protector. Its inhabitants had named her queen at the annual Spring Fling.

  Normally, she loved riding on Maxwell–the wind whipping her tail, the feeling of freedom, and the breath-taking views of this magical kingdom filling her with joy. But not today. She was terrified that her beloved home was in danger of being destroyed just as her home in Earth World had been.

  Chiding herself for not living in the moment, Ozette looked down. The sheer beauty of the cascading waterfalls, virgin forests, clear-running rivers and meandering streams took her breath away. A flight of woodpeckers swooped above them, calling and flapping their wings. Remembering why they were flying to see the queen, her stomach knotted. Soon the massive gray stone castle came into view, its towering spires bathed in sunlight.

  “Hold on tight,” Maxwell cautioned his passengers as he landed in front of the castle. He knelt, allowing Princess Abrianna and Ozette to slide off of his back.

  “I’ll be dining in the vegetable patch over yonder,” he said, flicking his head toward a colorful patch of vegetables behind the castle. “I’ll take you home after you’ve met with the queen. And good luck,” he said, his deep brown eyes looking concerned. The princess stood on tiptoes to pat his elegant head.

  Chapter Three

  The Circle of All Beings

  When the princess knocked on the massive door, they heard faint barking on the other side. Ozette grinned despite the seriousness of their visit. Duchess Zorina was on alert. The door was opened by a young woman, whom Ozette recognized from her previous visit.

  “Ozette! Princess Abrianna!” she exclaimed. She hugged the princess while the fluffy Bichon Frise covered Ozette’s face with licks and slurps to welcome her friend. “The queen is expecting you,” the woman said as she led them down a long hallway.

  Ozette stopped in her tracks.

  “How did the queen know we were coming?” she asked, puzzled.

  The princess laughed. “Word travels fast in this realm,” she said. “Especially when Maxwell is involved.”

  They were led into the queen’s study, DZ yipping at their heels in excitement.

  Queen Beatrix rose from her seat at an ornately carved desk and smiled at her visitors. She looked much better than she had the first time Ozette had met her, when she was grieving over her missing, beloved Bichon.

  “My dear sister. And Ozette. Or should I say Queen Ozette?” she asked, winking at her sister.

  Ozette tried to make herself as small as possible. She gulped. Her words tumbled out in a rush. “Oh, Queen Beatrix. I didn’t want my friends to crown me queen. Really. It wasn’t my idea. Really it wasn’t.”

  The queen laughed and held up her hand.

  “Whoa, Ozette. I’m not upset in the slightest. When I made you caretaker of Farlandia, I stepped away from ruling that portion of the territory. Your friends think so highly of you that they named you queen. That’s an affirmation of my judgment of your character.”

  Ozette relaxed visibly, and the queen invited them to sit on a sofa upholstered in peach-colored velvet. DZ scurried onto the couch and curled up next to Ozette.

  The door opened, and a man entered the room carrying a tray loaded with delicate china cups filled with rosemary and lemon verbena tea, small fancy sandwiches and freshly cut vegetables as well as a plate of butter cookies. Ozette was so nervous she didn’t think she could eat a thing, but she wanted to be polite, so she accepted a cup of the delicious-smelling tea and a plate of delicacies.

  The queen took a sip of tea and looked at them expectantly.

  “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Abrianna. We don’t get together often enough, but I suspect this is more than a social call,” the queen said.

  The princess nodded at Ozette. The squirrel gulped and launched into her story about Boardmore and Smiley’s visit. When she was finished, the queen slammed her fist on the desktop, causing Ozette to almost fall off of the couch in fear. DZ bounded off of the sofa, ran to the queen, her fluffy tail between her legs, and put
her paws on the queen’s knees and whined. The queen rubbed the dog’s ears, calming the frightened animal.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have bowed to pressure from my advisors. I should have trusted my instincts and never allowed Boardmore and Smiley into Farland. Never!” she said. “I rarely become angry, and I apologize, but being devious is a trait I cannot stand.” DZ whimpered, and the queen picked her up and kissed the top of her fluffy head.

  Ozette looked at the princess, who raised her eyebrows and shrugged.

  The queen ran her hands through her long red hair, and her eyes narrowed.

  “They’ve been on their best behavior while plotting behind my back and that Smiley will do anything his brother wants him to do. They’ve stepped over the line. I knew Boardmore’s scraping and bowing was insincere. When I told him he absolutely couldn’t have Farlandia for a hunting lodge and farm because it went against the principles of why this realm was created, he acted like it didn’t matter. But he’s obviously been biding his time,” she said.

  Ozette felt her eyes filling with tears. She tried to stop them, but they were cascading down her furry cheeks. “Just send Boardmore and Smiley back to Earth World. I couldn’t bear it if they destroyed our home,” she said.

  The queen shook her head, walked to the sofa, leaned over and patted Ozette’s paw, which was now soaked with tears. Ozette was horrified to see that her tears were staining the peach-colored velvet sofa.

  Seeing her discomfort, the queen said, “Not to worry, Ozette. A sofa is just a thing. Farlandia is a living being. I won’t allow it to be destroyed. But we have to be smart about this. Boardmore and Smiley have fooled several of my more trusting advisors, and it would be best if returning to Earth World was a decision made by Boardmore and Smiley themselves.”

  The princess nodded in agreement.