Lord and Lady Devonroe were eating breakfast in the morning room at Castle Earnose. They always ate the same thing - two boiled eggs each that the castle chickens had laid that morning in the garden, and three slices of smashberry jam on toast.
Often, they’d invite two friends to join them, and today Helen and Jensen (who were both regular visitors to the castle because they were friends with Lord and Lady D) had got up nice and early to come and join them.
When the eggs and smashberry jam toast were finished, Lady Devonroe liked to read her newspaper, The Horsmarlonerpool Trumpeter, whilst Lord Devonroe would open the mail.
“Have you got anything interesting today, Lord D?” asked Helen.
Lord Devonroe looked through the eight envelopes, until he came to one that was on thick, golden card.
“What could this one be?” he said. “It’s very fancy.” And he used a clean knife to slit open the envelope.
His eyes widened. “Oh goodness. It’s an invitation. An invitation from Prince Barnaby and Princess Agnetha.”
“The Prince and Princess of the SKYLANDS?” said Jensen, excitedly. “Wow. Imagine getting an invitation from a prince and princess. What does it say?”
“It says,” read Lord Devonroe, “that they’d ‘be delighted to accept us to tea at the palace.”
“Oh how splendid,” said Lady Devonroe. “When, dear?”
“Tomorrow afternoon at three,” replied her husband.
“Well tomorrow’s a Sunday, there’s no school,” said Lady D to Helen and Jensen. “Why don’t you both come with us?”
Helen and Jensen looked at one another. “Well,” said Helen cautiously, “It does say they’ll accept YOU to tea. It doesn’t say anything about US.”
“Oh, piffle!” laughed Lord Devonroe. “I’m sure they’d be more than delighted. Why wouldn’t they be? Now, it’s three hours by train to the Skylands, so three O’clock for tea, two O’clock, one O’clock, we’ll meet you at midday at the train station. No, make it eleven thirty, we shouldn’t want to be late for their royal highnesses.”
The next morning, Helen and Jensen - wearing their very best clothes - arrived at Horsmarlonerpool train station at eleven thirty, or half past eleven if you want to call it that, and couldn’t believe what was standing in the platform. Sixwheels the engine was waiting in front of the most brilliant train carriage they’d ever seen. It was made of dark wooden panels with purple and gold paint, with wonderful dark red curtains in the window, a white roof and beautiful pink lamps on every table.
Lord and Lady D were standing waiting to greet them, and smiled as they saw Helen and Jensen staring at the wonderful carriage.
“Oh you’ve never met Abigail,” chuckled Lord Devonroe. “She’s our train carriage. Never gets much of an outing these days. We cleaned her up last night and Sixwheels here has agreed to pull us all the way to the Skylands.”
Sixwheels tooted a hello to Helen and Jensen, who waved back before they got on board.
The long three hour journey to the Skylands was wonderful. They passed beaches, and went through forests, and over sand dunes and past lakes, until finally a wonderful town presented itself on the horizon. All the buildings were smooth and round, and all a perfect white.
“Ah! Marbleglow,” said Lady Devonroe. “The Capital City of the Skylands. Let’s get our things together.”
At Marbleglow station, a white carriage pulled by four white horses was waiting for them, and the footman opened the door for Lord and Lady Devonroe to step up inside, but gave quite a strange look to Helen and Jensen as they followed in behind.
It was a short ride to the palace, which towered over all of the other white buildings around it but was itself gleaming white in the sunshine. It was HUGE, with four floors and flags on the roof and smooth white towers at either end.
Lord and Lady D, Helen and Jensen stepped out of the carriage and approached the guard who bowed as Lord and Lady Devonroe approached but put his hand up in front of Helen and Jensen.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Oh, these are our friends, Helen and Jensen,” said Lord Devonroe.
“The invitation is for yourselves and yourselves only,” replied the guard.
“Oh dear, are you sure?” said Lady Devonroe. “They’re both very nice.”
“For yourselves and yourselves only,” repeated the guard.
“I tell you what,” said Lord Devonroe to Helen and Jensen. “Why don’t you two go off and explore, we’ll get the a-okay from the Prince and Princess, and then we’ll meet you back here later?”
Well, Helen and Jensen had never been to the Skylands before, and so they thought that was a perfect plan. They set off to explore the town, and soon, came across a school with lots of children playing outside.
“But it’s Sunday!” said Helen. “We don’t go to Half Hitch on a Sunday.”
They stood at the gates until some children came over to say hello.
“Where are you two from?” asked a boy. “We’ve not seen you before. My name’s Theo.”
“I’m Helen and this is Jensen,” said Helen. “We’re from Horsmarlonerpool. We’re here to visit the palace for tea, but.. um, well… we’re not going until later.”
Soon, all the children from the school, which was called Blue Sky, had gathered around Helen and Jensen in amazement.
“The Palace! We’ve never been invited to the palace,” said another boy called Alex.
“Oh, but I’m sure you could if you asked,” said Jensen.
The children laughed. “Oh, just ASK the Prince and Princess? I don’t think so - I don’t think children have EVER been in the palace. Most grown-ups don’t even get to go. Unless they’re VERY important or they’re winning a sort of prize.”
Inside the palace, Lord and Lady D were sat with Prince Barnaby and Princess Agnetha. They were finding it very difficult to make conversation. The Prince didn’t seem to like anything Lord Devonroe liked, and the Princess couldn’t find anything to say to Lady Devonroe.
“Oh!” Said Lady D, thankful to break the silence. “I nearly forgot. We brought two friends with us, but your guard - well, I’m sure she was only just doing what she’d been told - but she wouldn’t allow them in. We were wondering if they could have permission. I’m sure you’d like to meet them.”
Prince Barnaby nodded at one of his guards who then went off to the gate with the new information.
When Helen and Jensen approached the palace again two hours later, they received a bow and were shown into the drawing room where Lord and Lady D were extremely grateful to see them - they’d had an awful time trying to talk with the Prince and Princess who, there were ashamed to think, were a little bit boring.
“Children?” asked Prince Barnaby in amazement. “You failed to say your guests were children!”
“Oh but yes,” said Lady D. “They’re both regular visitors to Castle Earnose. Helen, tell the Prince about your adventures in the dungeons. Oh, and Jensen, show how you can stand on one hand.”
Well in no time, the Prince and Princess were enthralled. They’d never had such interesting guests as Helen and Jensen.
“Tell me,” said Princess Agnetha. “Are all the children in Horsmarlonerpool as wonderful as you?”
Helen blushed but then said. “Forgive me, your highness, but I’m sure you’ll find that the children here in Marbleglow are just like us. In fact, I hope you don’t mind, but I suggested they come here later - for a sort of party.”
The Prince and Princess stared at each other and then a guard rushed in.
“Begging your forgiveness,” he panted. “But there are fifty children at the gates with invitations.”
“Oh yes!” said Jensen. “And we made them all draw out their own invitations.”
Well that evening was wonderful. The Prince and Princess opened up the ballroom for the first time in months, and all the children from BlueSky school danced and laughed and ate mountains of jelly fresh from the kitchens. The Prince and Princess got so carried away that they danced in a huge circle with Helen, Jensen, Lord and Lady D, and all the children from the town.
And when it got time to go home, the Prince said “Nonsense! I suggest you find every cushion and blanket in the Palace and have… a palace sleepover!”
“Sleepover!” shouted all the children and rushed around the hundreds of rooms collecting all the comfiest things they could find.
Helen and Jensen walked up to Prince Barnaby and Princess Agnetha.
“You know, your highnesses,” said Helen. “Our friends in Horsmarlonerpool would LOVE this place.”
The Prince clapped his hands together excitedly. “But how would be know what they’re like?”
“Well you won’t until you meet them,” laughed Jensen. “That’s how friends are made!”
“Then we must arrange it,” said the Prince. “They must all come. Yes! And then they could meet all these wonderful people here and become friends. We shall host the first Skylands and Horsmarlonerpool feast party!”
But Princess Agnetha raised a finger. “Oh no, I don’t think so.. not a party,” she said.
The Prince, Helen, Jensen and Lord and Lady Devonroe looked at her.
“If we are to host such important new friends,” said Princess Agnetha. “It cannot be a party. It must be… a ball!”
“A ball!” sighed Helen. “Oh yes, PLEASE.”
And so that evening Helen, Jensen, and Lord and Lady Devonroe climbed back aboard Abigail the train carriage and made their way home to Horsmarlonerpool. And there, they gave EVERYONE their special, golden invitations to the ball at Palace in the Skylands.
