PRINCESS EVIE YOUNG FICTION 4 Read online

  “Then we decorate our snow dresses with all the beautiful things around us,” added Trina. “I’m going to use some of this reindeer moss that I’ve collected from the trees.”

  She opened her hand and showed Evie the pale green lichen.

  The snow fairies and Evie set to work, helped of course by Odin, Sparkles and Silver. While Evie drew the outline of her dress, Silver scraped at the snow and found some velvet moss.

  “Thank you, Silver,” said Evie, as she collected it with a little help from Odin. “This is just perfect for my snow dress’ bodice.”

  Evie found some icicles on the frozen waterfall in the mountainside and decided they would make a beautiful skirt decoration. Sparkles found some tiny frosty pine cones, and Evie collected a handful and laid them out on her snow dress.

  “Look, Sparkles,” she said. “Those cones make such a pretty belt.”

  Silver, Sparkles, Odin and Evie all stood back to admire her dress as it lay glittering in the snow. Sylvie and Trina had finished their party outfits too. Trina had used the pale green lichen to make a fluffy collar and cuffs for her dress of sparkling webs. Sylvie’s dress shimmered with frozen leaves and bright berries.

  “Now it’s time for some snow magic!” said Trina.

  She placed her hands on top of Sylvie’s. The snow fairies closed their eyes and quietly sang

  “Snow falling, frozen sun.

  Ice mountains, blue sky fun.

  Take the sparkling things we’ve found,

  Icicles, webs, moss from the ground.

  Then throw them up into the air,

  And give us magical clothes to wear.”

  They threw their hands up and a flurry of snowflakes exploded from them into the sky. They were all the colours of the rainbow and they danced in the cold air for a few moments. Then they floated to the ground, covering all three snow dresses.

  Princess Evie looked up and was stunned to see that the snow fairies were now wearing their beautiful snow dresses. She looked down, eager to see her own dress, but she was still wearing her felt coat.

  “Oh dear,” she said. “I don’t think my dress has worked.”

  “Let’s have a look,” said Sylvie.

  The fairies led Evie to the frozen waterfall and polished the ice until it shone like glass.

  “Take off your coat, Evie,” said Trina.

  Evie undid the crystal buttons and took off her coat. She gasped when she saw her reflection in the frozen waterfall. She was wearing the party dress that she had made in the snow. The soft velvet bodice sparkled with frost, and the little belt made from Sparkles’ pine cones hung prettily around her waist.

  “Not bad!” said Sylvie, smiling.

  “I love your icicle skirt,” said Trina.

  Evie twirled and as she did, her icicle skirt tinkled. The friends danced about, admiring each other’s snow dresses in the waterfall mirror.

  “I think we’re ready to go to the party!” said Sylvie.

  “I can’t wait!” said Trina.

  “Come on, Evie,” said Sylvie.

  But when Evie mounted Silver, she knew straight away that something was wrong. Silver neighed and stamped her hoof in the snow. The little Welsh Mountain Pony’s ears had pricked up and her nostrils were flared. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  “What is it, Silver?” asked Evie.

  “I can hear something too,” whispered Sylvie.

  The friends stood as still as statues and listened carefully. At first, there wasn’t a sound, but they all heard and then felt a low rumble that filled the snowy valley.

  “Avalanche!” shouted Sylvie.

  CHAPTER 4

  Moving Mountains

  Odin and the snow fairies flew quickly into the air with Sparkles in Trina’s arms, but there was nothing Evie and Silver could do except hope that they weren’t standing in the avalanche’s path. Evie put her arms around Silver’s neck.

  “Stand fast, little pony,” she whispered into Silver’s ear. “We’ll be all right.”

  Evie was trying to keep her pony still and calm, but she could feel her own heart racing as she watched the wall of snow come into view. The low rumble grew to a roar and the sky above them seem to fill as snow crashed down the mountainside. Evie could see that the avalanche was taking everything in its path – trees and boulders – and she knew that it wouldn’t be long for it to come to where they stood. But as it came towards them it lost its momentum and grew smaller. By the time it got to the frozen waterfall, it had slowed down to a trickle.

  “Phew,” said Sylvie. “That was lucky.”

  Everything that had been in the avalanche’s path had disappeared. It had either been buried or broken. Evie breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  “Stay where you are, Evie,” said Trina. “It takes a few minutes for the snow to set.”

  “After an avalanche, it takes about five minutes for the new snow to settle,” explained Sylvie.

  The valley fell silent, after the noise of the avalanche. Then, out of the stillness came a voice, “Help! Please, somebody. Help!”

  The friends looked at each other, amazed, and then the voice called out again.

  “Help me!” called the voice. “I’m trapped.”

  “They sound as if they’re deep in the mountain,” said Evie.

  “You’re right,” Sylvie agreed.

  “We’ve got to get them out,” said Trina.

  “But how could someone get inside a mountain?” asked Evie.

  “Good question,” said Sylvie.

  “Perhaps they fell down a ravine trying to escape the avalanche,” suggested Trina.

  “Or maybe they walked behind this waterfall before it froze over,” said Evie.

  “If we can find out how they got in, then we’ll know how to get them out,” said Trina.

  “Let’s take a look,” said Sylvie. “But it’ll be safer to fly as the snow might still be unsettled.”

  Sylvie, Trina and Odin searched the mountainside for any crack or crevice that could let them in. Odin was quite far when he cawed loudly – he had found something. The fairies fluttered up to the spot and Evie could hear them talking to someone. She couldn’t wait to find out who it was and it wasn’t long before the snow fairies fluttered down to tell her.

  “It’s Elva,” said Sylvie. “One of Queen Aurora’s snow maidens.”

  “She was collecting the magic crystals from the Queen’s mountain cave,” said Trina, “but she’s been trapped by a huge pile of avalanche snow. We can’t get her out using that crevice, it’s too small.”

  “We’ve got to find the entrance and unblock it,” said Sylvie. “Without the crystals the northern lights can’t happen.”

  “Elva told us that there’s a large boulder at the mouth of the cave,” said Trina, scanning the snow-covered mountainside, “with two silver birch trees growing beside it.”

  “Is that it over there?” Evie asked.

  She pointed to a large, black boulder that was almost completely covered with snow, it lay halfway up the mountain.

  “I think you’re right, Evie,” said Sylvie.

  “Come on,” said Trina. “Let’s take a look, the snow will have set by now.”

  Everyone rushed over to take a closer look and saw that beside the boulder were two little silver trees almost completely hidden by the avalanche snow. They began to dig with their hands, but it was no good – the snow was too hard.

  “It’s going to be impossible for us to move all this snow,” said Sylvie.

  “It will take us days,” agreed Trina.

  “Let me see what I’ve got in here,” said Princess Evie, opening her rucksack of useful things.

  As Evie pulled out a pencil and a pair of scissors, Sparkles found a long piece of string with a large magnifying glass tied to it. It landed heavily in the snow and the sun shone down through the lens, making a bright spark of light to melt the snow beneath it.

  “Well done, Sparkles!” said Evie, giving her kitten a hug. �
�You’ve found just the thing to soften the snow.”

  “We’ll have to be quick,” said Sylvie. “We don’t have much time before the sun sets.”

  Sylvie was right – even though it had been light for only a couple of hours, the sun now hung low in the sky, ready to set. It was getting closer to the mountains by the minute, and very soon it was going to disappear behind them, leaving the northern skies in darkness again.

  “We’re going to dig you out, Elva!” Sylvie called through the snow.

  “You’ll be out in no time,” said Trina.

  The friends looked at each other. They would have to work as a team – and they would have to work fast.

  Evie held the magnifying glass high up and aimed the sun’s softening rays at the snow. Silver dug with her hooves and Sparkles pushed the melted snow away with his paws. The snow fairies and Odin fluttered above, clearing the snow from the top of the entrance. They worked as hard as they could, their shadows getting longer and the sun getting lower. Evie could feel the air begin to chill.

  “Look,” said Trina, pointing.

  They turned and watched the golden sun sink down behind the mountains, ready for the longest night of the year to begin.

  “What are we going to do now?” asked Evie. “Even though we’ve moved loads of snow, we still haven’t got into the mountainside.”

  The friends stood in the new darkness, catching their breath and looking at the huge pile of snow that they had moved. They were all exhausted.

  “How are we ever going to get Elva out?” asked Evie.

  “What will Queen Aurora say when she finds out that she hasn’t got her magical crystals for her midwinter display?” added Sylvie.

  “Perhaps we should have gone to her for help in the first place,” sighed Trina.

  Silver walked up to the boulder. The little Welsh Mountain Pony dug her hooves into the snow, and leaned against the boulder. Then she pushed with all her might.

  “Look!” gasped Evie.

  Everyone stared in disbelief as the little snow pony made the boulder move. It shifted just enough to make everyone realise what they had to do.

  They all dug their feet into the snow, making sure they had a firm grip, and then pushed the boulder with Silver. Because they had melted and loosened a lot of snow, it wasn’t long before they could feel the rock begin to dislodge.

  “It’s moving!” cheered Sylvie.

  “We’re almost there,” Trina agreed.

  The more they pushed, the easier it was, until suddenly they felt the rock tip.

  “Stand clear!” shouted Sylvie.

  They jumped back as the boulder rolled away from the mouth of the cave and down the mountainside, racing all the way through the trees to the banks of Lake Perla.

  CHAPTER 5

  Cave Delights

  A golden light shone from the cave entrance and Evie could see that there was a winding passageway that led deep into the mountain.

  “Come on,” said Sylvie. “Let’s find Elva.”

  Odin flew in first, followed by everyone else. They went along the passageway that had been cut out of the rock and followed it around a corner. Princess Evie gasped in amazement; she had never seen anything so dazzling.

  They were standing in a huge cave filled with golden light. The walls glittered with precious jewels and crystals of every size and colour. From the ceiling hung sparkling gold and silver stalactites, like giant icicles.

  Elva the snow maiden was standing in the middle of the cave with a basketful of crystals beside her. Her white hair shone and shimmered. It was so long, it almost touched the floor. The moment she saw her snow fairy friends she ran up to them and gave them a big hug. The snow fairies introduced her to Princess Evie, Sparkles and Silver.

  “Thank you all so much for coming to my rescue!” she said.

  “We couldn’t have done it without Silver,” said Sylvie. “She is the strongest pony in the north.”

  Elva was amazed when the fairies told her how the little Welsh Mountain Pony had managed to push the boulder from the cave entrance.

  “But how could she?” Elva asked.

  “Sparkles found a magnifying glass in Evie’s rucksack,” replied Trina.

  “And it melted some of the snow that had fallen in the avalanche,” added Evie.

  “That loosened the boulder,” said Sylvie. “But it was Silver who thought of pushing it out of the way!”

  “Queen Aurora will be so impressed,” smiled Elva, stroking Silver’s glittering mane. “We haven’t got long before we have to leave for the Midwinter ball, but as a reward for all your hard work I think you all deserve a little treat. Have a look around and bring me the stones that catch your eye.”

  Princess Evie looked around. The cave was encrusted with twinkling crystals of every shape and size. It was impossible for her to choose any favourites – they were all so beautiful. Sparkles, however, had found his favourite gemstone straight away and was busy playing with a large, round tiger’s eye crystal.

  Evie decided to choose stones in her favourite colours. She found a pink rose quartz and a purple amethyst, and then she spotted a glittering opal that seemed to have a rainbow inside.

  She gave her stones to Elva, who closed her fingers around the jewels and gently blew into her hands. When the snow maiden opened her hands again, Evie saw a necklace of silver snowflakes. In the middle of each flake was a shining rose quartz or an amethyst, but there was no rainbow opal.

  “I thought Silver might like that one,” said Elva with a smile.

  Evie looked at Silver and saw the gleaming opal on her nose band.

  “Silver, you look fantastic!” said Evie.

  Elva made necklaces for the snow fairies and gave Sparkles a tiger’s eye pendant to hang from his collar.

  “Now, it’s time for us to go,” said Elva. “We need to get these magic crystals to Lake Perla.”

  Evie, Sylvie and Trina helped the snow maiden with the basket that was filled with the crystals.

  “These are heavy,” said Evie. “Why don’t we put them in one of the sleighs and Silver can pull it? You can ride with Sparkles and me if you want.”

  “Oh, thank you, Evie,” said Elva. “I’ve always wanted to ride a Welsh Mountain Pony. The Queen has a team of Fjord ponies. You’ll meet them when we get to the palace.”

  Evie and Elva chatted about their ponies as everyone made their way out of the mountain. When they came out of the cave, it seemed even darker than before. The sky was clear and cold, and flashing with stars. Evie noticed that the crystals were radiating their rainbow colours and everything around them was lit by their gentle glow.

  Evie harnessed one of the sleighs to Silver while Elva loaded the basket of crystals onto it. Trina and Sparkles tied the basket down so it wouldn’t tip or fall on the journey to the snow palace.

  “I’ve never seen jewels like this before,” said Evie.

  “They are magic and can only be found in this mountain,” said Elva.

  “Queen Aurora needs them for her display,” added Sylvie.

  “And she’ll be wondering where we are if we don’t set off now,” Elva said, smiling. “Come on, Silver, let’s take the short cut. All we need to do is follow Odin.”

  Odin was waiting for them by the silver birch trees. He turned and shot off down the mountainside towards Lake Perla.

  “He knows the quickest routes,” Sylvie. “If we follow him, we’ll be at the Queen’s palace in no time.”

  Evie, Elva and Sparkles hopped up onto Silver and away she trotted, with Sylvie and Trina flying above. Off they all went, following Odin into the night.

  CHAPTER 6

  Snow Wonder

  Silver pulled the sleigh steadily through the trees and down into the valley. Evie soon spotted other snow fairies making their way through the night sky to the party.

  “Well done, Silver,” said Elva. “We’ll get there just in time.”

  Silver took them along the banks of Lake Perla to a
flat plain. Standing around the moonlit clearing were lots of snow fairies in their glittering party outfits, fluffy birch mice, a snowy owl, some reindeer, Arctic foxes and even the polar bear cub that Evie and Silver had rescued the last time they were here. He was standing with his family, but as soon as he saw his old friends he raced over with his mother.

  “It’s so good to see you again,” he said.

  “And you,” said Evie, jumping down from Silver and giving the cub a hug. “You’ve grown so much since we last saw you.”

  “Thank you for bringing the crystals,” said his mum. “Without them we couldn’t have the party!”

  “This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” said the cub.

  Evie looked around, but couldn’t see a snow palace or the Snow Queen with her Fjord ponies. The only things in the clearing were some strangely shaped snowdrifts.

  “Will you help me, Evie?” asked Elva as she hopped down from Silver’s saddle. “We need to put the crystals in the middle of the clearing.”

  Together, the girls carried the heavy basket into the centre of the clearing and placed the crystals in the snow, their glowing colours reflected onto the snowdrifts, making them grow and change shape. Some of the drifts grew into tall snow towers and walls with icicle turrets, others into crystal tables laid with delicious feasts. Evie couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched an amazing snow palace grow around them. Soon they were standing in a wonderful ballroom made of ice.

  “Wow! You were right!” gasped Evie, astonished. “These crystals really are magic. What a beautiful palace.”