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Once in the forest a thunderstorm came up and turned the path into mud so that the carriage stuck. As they had already been in the forest for quite some time Alizarin was certain that the other side couldn’t be far off so she convinced Princess Violet to mount the carriage horses and ride to her Aunt’s, leaving the servants with the luggage and carriage behind, planning to send some one to fetch them after they reached the safety of Aunt Hildegard’s castle.

However since it was raining and the forest was very muddy, the path soon looked like the rest of the woods and they got lost. Unfortunately of all the directions they could go when they get lost, they took the one heading towards the eastern mountains. The forest continued right up the mountains and there were many dragons living there, as well as several castles belonging to banished nobles, robber bands, etc. However though Princess Violet wass certain that they were lost Alizarin was certain that they weren’t and said that even if they were lost, which was impossible, they’d still get somewhere by heading in the same direction, and they did get somewhere eventually.

They rode up to an open glade with a ruined castle in the center of it. Since it was still poring down rain Princess Violet suggested seeing if there was any shelter in the ruins of the castle. They went in and after wandering about for a bit they finally found a room that didn’t leak and wasn’t crumbling down. Unfortunately a very large dragon had already found the room and had it’s hoard of treasure there. Fortunately(or unfortunately) the dragon did not object to company so Violet and Alizarin stayed the night there.

The next morning they wanted to leave but the dragon wouldn’t let them and insisted on them starting to sort her treasure and to do various other things. However Alizarin(who had read all sorts of books on outwitting and escaping dragons) tried to come up with a fool proof plan of escape but Violet, who was rather scared, suddenly realized that the dragon was too big to get out of the room so while they were sorting some treasure near the door she suddenly grabbed Alizarin’s hand and ran out of the door. The dragon tried to follow but instead knocked down the wall onto itself while Princess Violet and Alizarin reached their horses in comparative safety.

They started off again, unfortunately in the same direction they had been going in the previous night. The woods soon got thicker and darker and though it was still day, strange shadows seemed to be all around them. Finally they come across a bog, Alizarin’s horse began to sink but with expert horsemanship she charged forward to an island of firm ground a little ahead. Princess Violet’s horse followed but just as they reach the seemingly firm ground, it turned out to be not so firm as they had thought and they had to keep galloping on ahead in order not to sink and when they finally did get to firm ground they were quite a ways away from the shore.

There was a hill on the firm ground and they began to ride up it to get away from the bugs of the bog(sounds kind of interesting). Near the top of the hill they found a hut. They knocked on the door and an old women came out asking them who they are and what do they want. Princess Violet said that she is Princess Violet and that they are lost and would greatly appreciate being told where they are. The old women told them that she will gladly tell them where they are for five gold pieces. Princess Violet gave her the gold pieces and the old woman said “Here” then walked back in her hut and slammed the door.

They were rather disappointed and also very hungry but they mounted their horses again and continued riding further up the hill. When they reached the top they had a clear view of their surroundings, unfortunately the surroundings had a clear view of them too and a huge eagle swooped down and carried them off, horses included. They were very worried, and all though they now had an even better view of the surroundings and could clearly see that they had been going in the wrong direction, it didn’t cheer them up much.

The giant eagle was heading for a place very high up in the mountains and after a while they came upon it’s nest. There several young eaglets were and they looked very hungry but just before they were about to be fed to the eaglets an arrow hit the eagle and she dropped them. The shooter of the arrow was a rather unsavory looking man with several well armed attendants who instantly demanded to know who the two girls were. Princess Violet said that she is Princess Violet and this is her lady in waiting Alizarin. “A Princess!” said the man, “You should fetch a good ransom.” then he ordered them to ride with him back to his castle. Alizarin wanted to object but Princess Violet mentioned that being held for ransom is better than being eaten by eaglets and Alizarin gave in.

They rode for quite a long way down the mountain until they finally approached a dark and gloomy castle. It was on the edge of a cliff with sheer sides going down quite a long way and up a long way. It was approached only by a narrow path and since Princess Violet did not have a head for heights so she found it necessary to close her eyes for most of the trip. Once inside the castle they were taken to cell in the dungeons and food was brought to them. They were quite ready for a meal since they hadn’t eaten anything for nearly eighteen hours, all though usually they would have turned up their noses at the food they were given.

Alizarin(who had read many books on escaping from castle dungeons) quickly began examining the cell and trying to figure out a way to escape. This time she didn’t try for a fool proof plan but merely did what seemed most likely to succeed, pick the lock with one of her hairpins. She soon got their cell door opened and since the castle lords thought that nobody could escape from their castle and kept no sentries in the dungeon, Princess Violet and Alizarin were able to walk out of their cell without being noticed.

Unfortunately(but also fortunately) Alizarin was not any better at finding her way out of dungeons than out of forests but they did find their way to where there were two cells with a prince in each. After introductions(the princes’ names were Kilron and Romoul) Alizarin used her trusty hairpin to free the princes and soon the four of them made their way out of the dungeons and into the rest of the castle. They found an armory and all of them grabbed swords and other various weapons and armor (even Violet) and continued on their way.

They still hadn’t met anybody and were beginning to wonder about it when they heard the noises of people talking coming from a nearby room. They stopped to listen and heard the leader of the band of ruffians planning an attack on a nearby town. He mentioned in detail how to get out of the secret passage that led down to the foot of the mountains and how to find the hidden horse stable and how to get from there to the edge of the forest(there were some new recruits being initiated) They left before the speech was over and since Alizarin was not leading and Kilron and Romoul were they found the secret passage and began walking down the long winding stair way.

They successfully got out of it without being seen but they weren’t so fortunate at the stable for nearly fifty ruffians were there. As the ruffians began to run out of the stable courtyard, Kilron, Romoul, and Alizarin grabbed their swords and prepared for battle. Princess Violet was rather scared but she grabbed the sword that she had and tried to do something with it. Having no idea of swordsmanship she began waving it about and fortunately cut the rope that suspended the portcullis. It came crashing down with them on one side and the fifty ruffians on the other. “Great thinking” said Kilron to Violet and they quickly ran to where some horses where all ready saddled, sprang on and galloped off before the combined efforts of the ruffians could raise the portcullis or come out any other way.

It seemed as though this time they would get out of the forest for the had good directions and two intelligent princes to guide them but their adventures were far from over yet. It didn’t start raining again but it began to get foggy and it is very easy to get lost in that forest. After a bit of riding they came on what seemed to be a fork in the road. However on closer examination it turned out to be a silver spoon so they left it lying in the road and went on.

Then came a place where the road split, one way went right and the other way went left. They didn’t remember this in the directions so they chose to go to the right but unfortunately the right way was the wrong way. They road led right into some caves and Kilron and Romoul suggested going back and trying another way but Alizarin said that it was probably just a short tunnel so they went in. Now caves are even easier to get lost in that forest, unless you bring some string with you which they didn’t. After a long time of wandering around the caves where occasionally the words “Short Tunnel indeed” were said and Alizarin wanted to vanish, they finally saw daylight again.

Unfortunately the daylight was coming from a crack in the roof of the cave about twenty feet up from where they were and it was right above an underground lake. This seemed somewhat unfortunate but they were now able to see a little, though as soon as they noticed a strange shadowy beast swimming around in the lake they couldn’t help wishing that they could see something else. But when they noticed another hideously fierce looking creature come in from another cave they felt that they creature swimming in the water wasn’t so bad. The two creatures noticed each other and with strange, eerie noises they began to fight. The water creature was amphibious though the cave creature wasn’t and when the water creature knocked the cave creature into the center of the lake it conveniently drowned right underneath the spot where the light was coming in.

Alizarin, who though she hadn’t read a great many books on how to get out of a cave through a hole in the roof twenty feet up and above water, still was trying to form a plan to get them out, though she wasn’t succeeding very well. But before she could think much further the water creature came towards them. In a snaky unpleasant voice it said “I don’t like strangers in my realms, how do you want to die?” With great quickness of thought Alizarin said “By being put up through that hole in the roof of the cave and shriveling in the light. ” “So be it.” said the water creature. With a curve of its long neck it grabbed Alizarin’s horses and tossed it up the hole. Then it did the same with the rest of them and though they were rather shaken they were out of the caves. Whereupon Violet, Romoul and Kilron were so glad to be out in the fresh air and sunshine again that they said “Thank you” and forgave Alizarin for getting them into the caves in the first place.

But the sunshine was not to remain for long for the lengthening shadows of evening were already beginning. They were now no longer in the forest but they were also no longer on the west side of the mountains either having just gone under them. This seemed to be very unfortunate until Romoul mentioned that his kingdom was not too far away and they accordingly set out for it.

They reached it without further adventure, which was very surprising, but when they got there they found that a revolution had taken place and an evil tyrant named Draklahs had taken over and Romoul’s father was being held prisoner in the dungeons of his own castle. They quickly decided to go incognito to the castle and see what they could do, unfortunately Romoul was recognized and they were all taken to the thrown room where Draklahs was. He laughed a cruel laugh when he saw Prince Romoul brought in and made the mistake of having his father sent for so that he might see him in chains. The reason it was a mistake is their weapons had not yet been taken away from them and Romoul, Kilron, Alizarin, and Violet attacked as soon as the king was brought in. Romoul took down Draklahs while Kilron and Alizarin got his guards and Violet used her newly discovered knowledge of the usefulness of hairpins to free the King and soon he was back on his thrown and quite happy to be there.

Then after thanking them all he agreed to make arrangements to send Princess Violet and Alizarin back to their kingdom and as Kilron and Romoul wanted to see them safely there he sent them along too. Surprisingly they made it nearly all of the way back and had gone through the mountain passes and the forest and where only a days journey away from the castle where Princess Violet’s father ruled before something exciting happened.