As they sat around the table eating, the conversation of pet names continued. "What about our horses?" Sofia asked. "Sir Gilliam told me Minimus' name when I first joined the flying derby team, but what about our other horse friends?"
Amber rolled her eyes. "I have James to thank for mine!"
Amber's flashback
"I can't wait to see the horse Daddy got me!" Amber said excitedly. "And I have the perfect outfit for her!" She spun around, modeling her new green riding outfit.
"So, any ideas on a name?" Sofia asked.
"I don't know yet," Amber shrugged as they met James at the stables.
"You want a name for your horse, Amber?" James asked, "I've got a brilliant idea! And it helps that I had this song in my head all day!"
I'm just mad about Saffron
Saffron's mad about me
I'm just mad about Saffron
She's just mad about me
The horse pricked up her ears at the voice.
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
I'm just mad about Fourteen
Fourteen's mad about me
I'm just mad about Fourteen
She's just mad about me
Amber smirked. "Well, yellow is my signature color, but once again, James, you're lucky I like this song!"
She joined in, They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
Born high forever to fly
Wind velocity nil
Wanna high forever to fly
If you want your cup our fill
By now, even Sofia had joined in.
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(So mellow, he's so yellow)
"I think she likes the name Saffron," Amber smiled.
Sofia smiled as she sang, Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to be the very next phase
They call it mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
Amber patted the horse's neck as they finished the song.
Saffron - yeah
I'm just mad about her
I'm just mad about Saffron
She's just mad about me
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Oh so yellow, oh so mellow)
"Well, Saffron, how do you like your new name?" Amber smiled as the song ended. She laughed as Saffron tossed her head happily and pressed her nose against her shoulder. "I think she likes it!"
End Amber's flashback
"And thanks to James, after we sang that, the song got stuck in my head for the whole day," Amber mock glared at her brother, who grinned sheepishly.
"That's okay, James, your intentions were good, and you both like the song," Lucinda smiled. "But Thunderbolt's a different story entirely!"
Lucinda's flashback
It was two years before the sickness claimed her parents. Her mother was teaching her how to create animals out of solid objects. Lucinda had done some practicing on her own, and out of a small piece of quartz, created a small rabbit she christened Hexie.
"Wonderfully done, my little witchlet!" her mother Marla smiled. "Now, let's see what you can do with something bigger."
Marla led her outside, where she had conjured a large black slab of marble. "Just concentrate, and use the transformation spell you learned."
Lucinda closed her eyes, aimed her wand at the marble, and chanted, "Transformatto pegasinia!"
A loud clap of thunder sounded as the spell was cast, there was a flash of light, and when Lucinda opened her eyes again, she found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes. There, standing before her, was a fully grown Pegasus.
"That's my little witchlet!" Marla smiled. "Your father and I will teach you how to ride her."
"And in honor of her grand entrance, I'm calling her 'Thunderbolt!'" Lucinda added as she stroked the horse's nose.
End Lucinda's flashback
"Great story, Lucinda," Sandra said as she helped pass out lunch.
"Thanks, and at least I have something to remember Mom and Dad by," Lucinda smiled sadly, but she brightened as Sofia patted her hand.
"And she is a beautiful horse," Amber agreed, "But Sandra, we know about your horse Phoenix, but how did you get her?"
"Well, let's put it this way: my lousy sense of direction comes in handy when it wants to!" Sandra quipped, and began her story.
Sandra's flashback
It was Sandra's first day as a Tulip Scout, and she and the troop were on a field trip to the Ever Golden Glades for their phoenix-spotting badges. They were also doing a variety of projects while they were there.
Sandra and one of her new friends, a village girl named Shawna, were hunting for flowers for their flower gathering badges. Unfortunately, flowers had always been a problem for Sandra, and even though they were out in the open, the smells were becoming overpowering.
As they walked deeper into the meadow, Sandra sat down with a hand on her chest. "You go on, Shawna; I'll catch up with you," she panted.
After a few minutes, Sandra was feeling somewhat better, she looked around and saw that Shawna wasn't there. She figured she'd go back to where the troop was and wait for her, but she'd try to pick a few flowers so she'd get a badge as well.
As she gathered a few flowers that didn't bother her, and being mindful to stay away from the patch of Meddlesome Myrtle, she looked around. She tried to go back the way she'd come, but nothing looked familiar. Suddenly, she stumbled upon a herd of winged horses. She knew this was something the troop wanted to see, so she thought she'd wait for them.
A long time passed, and nobody came. However, she noticed that one of the horses, a tan and white one with tan wings, was looking at her. She stayed still, like her brother had taught her, and the horse came up to her. Michael, the royal horse trainer, had also taught her and Zeke that it was important to be polite to animals, so Sandra curtsied to the horse, who nodded in return.
"I'm lost," she said at last, but she didn't know if the horse could understand her. "My friends are camping at the edge of the glade, and I'm all turned around. Can you help me?"
To her surprise, the horse knelt down so she could mount it. She remembered watching Zeke learn to ride, and she tried to remember what Michael had taught him. "Knees tight, sit up straight, hold onto the scruff," she murmured. "Ready?" she asked when she settled herself on the horse's back. The horse neighed, and Sandra called, "Hyah!"
She and the horse soared through the sky, and Sandra scanned the area for her friends. "Down there!" she pointed. She and the horse landed in front of the troop, and Sandra slid off her new friend's back.
"Princess Sandra, are you all right?" the troop leader, Mrs. Lora Keenan, asked.
"I'm all right," Sandra nodded. "I'm sorry. I got turned around. I waited for you, but nobody except this horse came."
"As long as you're safe, that's what really matters," Mrs. Keenan replied. "And you did find some flowers, so you get your flower gathering badge. Also, you're just in time to see that." Everyone looked up, and saw several phoenixes flying overhead. A few minutes later, everyone saw the same herd of flying horses that Sandra had seen. "Well done, everybody! All of you get your phoenix-spotting badges, flower gathering badges, and winged horse spotting badges!" The girls cheered, but Mrs. Keenan continued, "And Princess Sandra, it appears you've also got a new friend!"
The horse nudged Sandra with its nose, and Sandra patted its neck in return. "This is even better than a badge!" she grinned.
"So, what's your new friend's name?" Shawna asked.
Sandra grinned. "In honor of everything that happened, I'm going to call her Phoenix!"
End Sandra's flashback
"And we've been together ever since. Cloud also looks up to Phoenix, and adopted her as a kind of second mom and best friend," Sandra added, referring to her sister's horse.
"What about your horse, James?" Sofia asked.
"Echo?" James looked up. He looked over at the stables where their horses were eating their own lunch, and lapsed into silence for a few moments before beginning his story.
James' flashback
It had been a year since Queen Melinda's death, and Roland was trying to do everything in his power to convince James to sing in public again, or at least take a break from working so hard. The spell that Cedric had cast on him to give him nightmares had also been lifted, but James didn't remember that; however, he remembered how he felt about singing in public, and he tried to do anything he could to stay away from music. Finally, after seeing him working alongside the staff for the tenth time that week, Roland decided that enough was enough, and had James brought to his study.
"James, you have to stop beating yourself up over this," Roland started when James closed the door behind him. "Losing your voice was an accident, and I'm positive that your mother understands that, and she forgives you."
"If I don't sleep, I don't sing in my sleep. If I don't sing in my sleep, I don't have bad dreams. If I don't have bad dreams, I don't think about Mom. If I don't think about Mom, I don't have to worry about her being mad at me," James chanted the phrase he used whenever he didn't want to start crying. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.
"James, Melinda could never be mad at you about this. I know Amber's not mad about it. And I'm certainly not mad about it," Roland said as he pulled James into a hug as he started to cry. Roland held him for a long time, then when James' sobs had ceased, he said, "James, I can't believe it's come to this, but I'm giving you an official command: You are going to go with your sisters, your mother, and I to the village horse show this weekend." James started to protest, but Roland said, "It will be good for you to get out and take a break. The staff can work on the papers without you. And yes, I know some of them have a little trouble spelling..."
"A little trouble spelling?" James repeated, smirking.
"Well, not all of us were born with dictionaries in our heads, or came out reciting the alphabet, or prepared to transcribe our own birth," Roland joked as he put him in a headlock and mussed his hair. Over James' laughter, he continued, "And I'm lucky I know how to spell my own name…R-O-L…L?-A-N-D…E? Or is it 'O?'"
"Dad! There's no 'O' or 'E' at the end, and there's one 'L!'" James laughed as he tried to squirm out of his father's grip.
"But when we learned Spanish dancing in Popov's class, my partners called me 'Rolando!'" Roland said as he struck a dramatic pose, catching James as he was about to fall. He paused, thought for a moment, then grinned. "You know, maybe I should take up that persona again for your mother!" He spun James around and dipped him as he added, "Olé!"
That weekend, the royal family was walking around the Dunwiddie Horse Show. They were looking at all the horses, and pointing out their favorites. Amber, of course, loved the Lipizzaner horses who could dance, James and Sofia were drawn to the racing horses, and Roland and Miranda were enjoying seeing the kids so excited.
As the day wore on, even James had to admit that he was having a good time. However, when he was by himself looking at a group of winged horses, he heard, over the loudspeakers, the opening notes of the song he was supposed to sing with Amber. "No…not here…not now!" he whispered as he went rigid with shock.
Amber had heard the music as well, and immediately went to find James. She found Sofia and their parents along the way, and soon they found James, huddled next to a brown winged racing horse. The horse looked surprised, but he was nuzzling James to comfort him.
"James, it's all right," Amber said as Miranda took him in her arms. "What happened?"
"I can't talk about it," James' voice was muffled in her shoulder. "I wasn't lost, I knew where you were, but…" he pointed in the direction of the loudspeakers.
Roland and Amber nodded in understanding. Sofia, on the other hand, whispered to the horse, "Thank you for helping James."
"Any time, Princess," the horse whispered back.
"Are you all right, James?" Miranda asked when the song ended.
James shrugged, but he nodded. "I think I'll be okay, and I'm really sorry," he said when he was a little calmer.
"It's not your fault, James, but I think we should get back to the castle," Roland murmured. As everyone nodded and started to go back to the coach, the horse who had been with James followed them.
"Your majesty, it looks like this horse has taken a liking to Prince James," the horse trainer said as he saw what was going on. He hadn't seen what happened, but he knew that the horse had tried to help him. "I'll even give him to you, no charge."
"Thank you, my good man," Roland smiled.
When the new horse was in his stall in the royal stable, Miranda patted his nose as she asked, "So what are you going to call your new friend, James?"
"I think I'll call him Echo," James smiled as he scratched his ears.
End James' flashback
"And now that I'm not afraid of singing in public anymore, Echo likes it when we hear that song, and I'm not afraid to sing it," James concluded his story.
"That's wonderful, Prince James, and those are all wonderful stories you're sharing," Violet smiled as she ushered some of their friends into the gazebo.
Author's notes
Mellow Yellow by Donovan is not mine
Tulip Scouts were mentioned in chapter 10 of Niagara14301's story Dorrie
Mrs. Lora Keenan, Shawna, Michael, Ezekiel, Lucinda's horse Thunderbolt, and the horse trainer are all my own characters
Meddlesome Myrtle was found in The Buttercups
Phoenixes in the Ever Golden Glades were mentioned in King for a Day, and the location was mentioned in the Enchancia national anthem
To learn more about Sandra's horse Phoenix, check out my story A Puzzling Mystery Weekend
To learn more about the spell Cedric cast on James and how it affected him, check out chapters 5 and 6 of my story The Day the Music Died.
Hexie, Lucinda's pet rabbit, was introduced in the book A Magical Match
For more about the sickness that claimed Lucinda's parents, see Niagara14301's story The Newest Princess
Any other ideas for pet backstories?