Unicorns? Get Real!

believe it. Hadn’t she thought she had seen the dim outline of such a creature in the unfinished tapestry last session? One of the great mysteries of the castle, which only the princesses of the South Turret knew about, was the magical tapestry in a hidden turret. During that first session of camp, Alicia had been led there by a Ghost Princess who had haunted her bedchamber. The ghost had told Alicia that her spirit could only be put to rest if the three princesses of the South Turret completed the part of the tapestry that had never been finished. Alicia, Gundersnap, and Kristen had begun to sew, and it was as if their hands had been magically guided, for as they stitched a picture began to emerge. Not an entire picture, but one with enough clues so that eventually the spirit of the Ghost Princess and that of her true love, a knight, could be reunited and put to rest.
    Gundersnap could remember it all as clearly as if it had happened five minutes ago. Just as Princess Alicia had said, “I guess the tapestry is finished. The story told,” Gundersnap had seen some other lines that were ever so faint. At first she thought it was the figure of a small horse, but the harder she looked, the more it had seemed like a unicorn. Gundersnap, however, being Gundersnap, was a very practical girl, and she knew that unicorns were just made-up creatures from fairy tales. Her mother had said such creatures didn’t exist! And if her mother said something…well…the empress was usually right about everything. Gundersnap had never said a word to Alicia or Kristen about what she thought she had seen. And Princess Myrella did not even know yet about the unfinished tapestry, for she had not been their turretmate then.
    But right now Gilly was saying that in the Kingdom of Palacyndra, there had once been many herds of unicorns. “You see, Miladies, unicorn roundups used to be the most popular activity at Camp Princess, but the herds thinned because we’ve had so many frequent and severe winters. The remaining herds migrated far south. There has not been a roundup in the years I’ve been here. But they might be back!”
    Kristen was about to jump out of her kirtle from excitement. But Gundersnap was simply astonished. I wonder , Gundersnap thought, if they really do exist, if they are magical too, like the ones in fairy tales? Ach, never!
    “By Saint Guy, this is exciting!” Kristen was exclaiming.
    “Guy? Guys?” said Alicia vaguely. “Guys like boys?”
    “No, like Guy of Anderlet, patron saint of horses and things with horns. It’s so totally ice.”
    “Totally ice” was one of Kristen’s favorite expressions. The people of the Realm of Rolm, where it was very cold, had many odd expressions that involved ice, snow, and harsh weather, which the inhabitants seemed to love and find bracing. “Totally ice” was one of those expressions especially popular among the younger generation in the realm.
    Kristen turned to Gilly. “Will there be a real roundup where we go out and sleep in tents and follow the herds?”
    “Maybe.” Gilly smiled. “Weather permitting, that is. But in the meantime, in arts and crafts you shall be making satin ribbon lanyards in preparation. These will be your lariats for lassoing unicorns.”
    “Great!” said Princess Kristen. “I am so darned sick of making those stupid diamond barrettes!”
    “So to bed with you all.” Lady Merry was waving them toward their chambers and Myrella toward her closet. “If you are to go on unicorn roundup, you will need all your energy.” She continued, “For you shall be riding for hours all day over the plains of Wesselwick. Sleeping in tents, eating camp food. Very tiring. And none of this breakfast in bed stuff.”
    “Uh-oh!” said Princess Alicia.
    “Yes, yes, Princess Alicia. You’ll have to toughen up.” Lady Merry shook one of her plump beringed fingers at the princess.
    “My mudder , the empress, goes to battle,” Gundersnap added. “No breakfast in bed, and she eats the same food as her soldiers. She always says, ‘ Schlobenspuk besmutch da besmutch schlobenspuk. ’”
    “Can you translate that, Gunny?” Alicia asked.
    “Yes, it means ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’”
    Each princess bade the others good night. In the princesses’ bedchambers, the chambermaids got busy. First they sprayed a lovely night scent of perfume about. It was called Sweet Royal Dreams. They lit reading candles and arranged small