As I retrieved the letter, I thought I heard a shifting sound on the other side of my room, but I paid it no mind. I opened the letter and began to read:

Aurora,

It is with an urgent hand that I write this message. Two of my knights and I have been travelling on hidden roads because we were attacked just a week ago by a couple of nameless riders who tried to kill me. I believe they came from the south, but they were not from Nénuphar; they did not have the look of the Franks.

I barely escaped with my life. You must know, Aurora, that those attackers came from your kingdom. The day after Sir Adam, Sir Hercules and I fended them off, we met a Nénupharian rider on the forest road. He was startled to see me, because he had believed me to be dead. He gave us news that two men fitting the description of my assailants had slain many men at a Nénupharian encampment—and they wore tunics embroidered with King Stefan's emblem.

My eyes grew wider as I continued reading.

My belief is that these rebels, for reasons of their own, do not want an alliance between Queen Eudora's and your father's kingdoms, so they are stirring up trouble to cause unrest. You must warn Governor Ratcliffe! In the meantime, I shall try to make my way home as discreetly as possible. Tell no one except the governor that you received this letter. I will have Sir Adam deliver it to you through Wiggins (since, as you know, Wiggins will ask no questions). Please know that I am safe, my love. I will see you as soon as I can.

Your Prince,

Phillip

I sat down in shock. Someone had tried to murder Phillip! And they were also trying to sever our relations with Nénuphar! It occurred to me at once that I should tell Governor Ratcliffe we must not go to war. Just as I stood up to run out and tell him, I heard that same shifting sound from across my room again, only louder. I turned my head to find it was coming from within my wardrobe. And . . . the wardrobe door was opening!

I stumbled back in fear as a young stranger with raven-black hair and bright blue eyes emerged from my closet. Before I could yell, he held up both hands as if in surrender and whispered sharply, "Princess, I am not here to hurt you! I bear a message from Princess Tiana! I beg you, do not call the guards!"

I wonder why I did not cry out anyway, but something told me to listen to him—perhaps he was being sincere—so I stayed silent. Yet I eyed him with great suspicion, soundlessly warning him not to play tricks on me. Then I slowly stood to my feet.

He began, "There is some conspir—"

"You will not dare speak until I give you permission!" I said sharply, trying to use all my authority as Princess of the realm. I made my way carefully over to the side of my bed. Then, keeping my eye on the stranger, I lifted the corner of my mattress and pulled out a long, shiny dagger. I had been keeping it there since Mulan had been banished, though I still hoped I would never need to use it.

"Now," I said in a low voice, pointing my dagger directly at him, "If you want me to keep silent and not call the guards, you had better give me good reason! Before anything else, tell me exactly who you are and how you have dared to sneak in here. And answer immediately!"

"My name is Eric Marsiere. I am just a young sailor, but my wife Ariel is a handmaiden to Princess Tiana," he said with a trace of a French accent. "And the princess needed to get a secret message to you and you alone. Only I could carry it safely."

"How?" I asked, still keeping my knife upheld.

"I sailed here and approached your kingdom from the west—the last thing your governor expected, I imagine," he added with a small smile. I nearly smiled back, but caught myself first.

"And why all the secrecy?" I demanded, my voice still low. "What message could Princess Tiana have for my ears alone?"

"I think that will be better explained if you just read it," Eric said, reaching into his worn leather vest and drawing out a folded letter. He handed it to me, and I took it from him cautiously.

As I slowly lowered my blade and unsealed the parchment, Eric said, "Your Highness, I must leave you now. I cannot be caught here." He started to move away, but I commanded him to wait.

"Tell me one more thing," I said, hoping to find further reason to believe he was a friend. "How did you get in here without anyone knowing?"

"Your fireplace," he replied, pointing to where a black pile of burnt rods lay on the hearth. "A tunnel leads to it from the southwest corner of your royal garden. Actually, many tunnels interconnect with the one I took, but that is the nature of castles—there must always be numerous and hidden means of escape for the women and children in case the fortress is breached."

I stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"Thankfully I was able to navigate my way here by following the tunnel wherever it inclined. The safest chambers in the castle—usually reserved for the royals—are often the highest." Then he reached into the fireplace and, to my astonishment, pushed back its wall of stone and dragged it to the side. The stone scrapped as it slid, though it was otherwise surprisingly quiet. Before he disappeared into the hidden channel, Eric looked at me and said, "I know you don't trust me yet, Princess. But I hope you know I mean well. And forgive me for surprising you, I only hid in your wardrobe to avoid being caught by the wrong person."

Then he went in, and I hurried to watch him slide the wall shut behind him.

I blinked. Had I really just watched a complete stranger leave my chamber by a secret tunnel? Had I really just allowed him to leave? Should I have kept him to learn more about the secret message before I read it?

It was too late to do anything about that now. Eric was gone, and to go after him would be foolhardy. Even if it wasn't foolhardy, I thought I would not want to follow him down a previously unknown passage.

I opened Tiana's letter and read the words:

To Her Royal Highness Princess Aurora,

I hesitated at first to write this letter, but now I am sure I must rely on your earnestness as an ally. I have sent you this message, free of political formalities (I think you will forgive me), to give you a truthful account of the crimes that spurred our attack on your fortress Ravenspost.

Near the end of last summer, during the month of August, my mother and I received word that some villages on the outskirts of our kingdom were being pillaged. We rode to our people's defense, but by the time aid reached these towns, many had been slain and much taken. When asked to describe what had happened, survivors informed us of an emblem upon the tunics of their attackers: a silver sword with a crimson rose circling its hilt. We knew this was the emblem of King Stefan's soldiers, and we angrily prepared for retaliation. But before then, my mother the Queen said we must try to correspond with King Stefan to find out why he chose to make us his enemy. She wrote your father a frank and cautioning letter.

Well when a reply letter finally came, it was written by Governor Ratcliffe, who informed us he had been placed in the kingdom's charge whilst King Stefan was away in the East. He wrote that he had not heard of any such attacks in our realm, and continued to feign ignorance even as more assaults on our villages came. We knew—we always knew—from the emblem upon the crests of the attackers, that Ratcliffe was sending these men to do harm to Nénuphar. We attacked Ravenspost to subdue the governor and permanently end the suffering he was causing our people.

When I first received your letter, I was shocked. I could not believe your accusations! But then I realized, the more I read your words, that you were speaking in ignorance. And I realized you were being sincere, and I decided I could trust you. But now tensions between our realms have continued for months and Ratcliffe has attacked our ambassador's encampment in your own realm. He may yet declare war on us. I need you to know this so you can help me stop him.

I must boldly ask you a favor, one princess to another: will you learn what Ratcliffe's schemes are and report them to me? Will you send me letters containing his plans so my people can prepare accordingly? Please, Princess Aurora, you are the only person in your father's realm I can trust. And I know you care about the welfare of others as passionately as I do. Therefore I beg you—please—help us! Spy on the governor, learn what his plans are, and send me the details through Eric. He will meet you in the garden by night to deliver your messages. That is the best plan I can think of, and I hope you are willing to follow it.

With Utmost Respect,

Princess Tiana

I let the paper fall from my hands. No, no, this could not be happening!

And yet, it all made sense of so many things: Ratcliffe's defaming Queen Eudora, the inexplicably sudden attack on Ravenspost, the governor's attempts to keep me ignorant of statecraft . . . no wonder I had thought something wrong was going on inside the castle! Ratcliffe was pushing Nénuphar into war to gain glory for the conquest he would make of it! And he was doing it in such a way that he would look like a hero rather than a fiend when King Stefan returned from Jerusalem.

But of course Phillip would never support such a plan, once he found out about it. Ratcliffe must have known this. And that is why . . . I thought fearfully. That is why Ratcliffe must have sent those two thugs to murder him!

I recalled Ratcliffe's words during the heated conversation I had heard from within my father's study just days ago: He is a threat! He must be eliminated . . . for your own sakes as well as mine, Gaston, you and Clayton had better get the job done quickly!

Then Ratcliffe was a traitor. A traitor with power. In fact, he was a traitor with the most power in the realm . . . he ruled in the place of the king.

Just then Belle returned with the linen cloth and water I had asked for.

"Where do you want me to put—" Belle was interrupted as I dipped my hands into the basin and carelessly splashed water onto my face. The water ran down past my chin and soaked the neckline of my dress, but I did not care.

"Leave me for a moment," I commanded. Belle set the basin down on my bedside table and went out the door with a questioning look on her face. I shut the door behind her and sat down, trying to breathe slowly.

Princess Tiana is asking me to spy on Governor Ratcliffe, I thought. She wants me to act against his authority in secret.

I would not allow the word "treason" to enter my head. I knew perfectly well what Tiana was asking me to do was illegal. But she had made it clear that she needed my help. And she was not my enemy. On the contrary, it seemed perhaps she was the sincerest friend I could ever ask for among royalty. I could not deny it would be wrong to refuse to help her. More than that, if I did not help her, my people would suffer the horrors of war.

I felt dread at the thought of breaking the law, even to help an ally. What if Ratcliffe caught me? Would I be spared only because I was King Stefan's daughter? Or would I be punished and maybe even put to death?

Or tortured? I shivered, remembering the hearsay of cruelties that took place in the deepest chambers of castles. The convicted would pray for death rather than endure their sentenced agony in the dungeons.

I felt cornered. I knew I had to help Tiana, but I was so terrified of what might follow if I did. My eyes began to survey the room haplessly. As they did, they fell upon Princess Jasmine's book sitting in my shelf. At the same time, I recalled some of Mulan's lessons in moral philosophy.

I can't sit here and wait until I have courage, I realized. I have to do the right thing even when I'm terrified, and that's the only way to get courage.

I did not much like this realization. But it helped me make a final decision: I would help Tiana. I would not let myself think about what might happen if I were found out. I had to keep my nerve.

. . .

When the following morning I explained everything to Rapunzel, she listened with wide eyes and silent lips. I told her I had sent a response to Princess Tiana that night. It had not been easy; first I had to wait until I was sure most everyone was asleep, then navigate my way through the tunnels before finally coming out the wrong exit and finding myself right next to the defending wall. Fortunately, I made my way to the garden unseen (I hoped) and gave my letters to Eric, ordering him to bring one first to Prince Phillip to warn him of the situation, and the second back to Princess Tiana. Eric promised to do my bidding and that he would return in a matter of weeks. Then I made my way through the tunnels back to my room, after a few wrong turns and some narrow escapes from being caught. I did not sleep well; fear plagued me. So, I summarized, I felt I needed to tell someone, for advice if not comfort. Rapunzel was the best friend I had in the castle.

"Belle and I are going to the library after we break fast," I said in a low voice so no one outside could hear. I had called Rapunzel to my chamber early, so she could get the message before the day surrounded us with possible eavesdroppers. "If there is one thing I could ask of you, it is to help me figure this out. How am I going to do this? I do not know how I could possibly spy on Ratcliffe when a person like me is so noticeable—I am a princess, for heavens' sake!"

"Yes, that is a problem," said Rapunzel slowly. She might have still been trying to take in all that I had told her. "But I think if we get creative, we can think of a way. What exactly did you tell Tiana in your reply?"

"That I would try my best to find out what I could," I said simply. "That is a promise, although it does not promise results."

Rapunzel looked into my eyes. "Aurora, I think this is very brave of you. But are you sure it's worth it? I mean, you don't know what will happen if Ratcliffe finds out."

"I'm trying to forget about that," I said evenly.

Rapunzel seized both my hands in hers. "Aurora, I'm not going to let you spy on Ratcliffe by yourself. It would be suicidal. I'll help you. I'm so scared . . . but I'll help you. I promise you won't be alone."

Tears welled in my eyes at her loyalty. I put my arms around her and said, "You're a true friend." We held on to each other for a moment, then stood up to leave. Breakfast was about to be served and we did not want to be missed.