Theodore's little sister Ria was wise beyond her years. She was articulate, witty, had an eye for detail, and enjoyed reading for fun. Most people who knew her agreed that there were only two people in the palace who were smarter than she was: Oswald and King Barron himself. Bambi often said, only half joking, that when he became king, his first official act would be to make Ria his royal advisor. But like most highly intelligent people, she could also be stubborn. She hated making mistakes and had trouble admitting when she'd made one. But one day she learned that admitting your mistakes is a much wiser decision than hiding them.

On the day our story begins, Ria was reading in the shade of the tree in the castle courtyard. She, like Bambi, found this a great place to read in private. She tried not to appear bored as she flicked through the yellowed pages of her book. She'd read it so many times, and it showed both in her and the book. Like the other books she owned, it was secondhand and in poor condition. Still, she'd always been polite when her parents had presented them to her. She knew it was the best they could do. New books were expensive and her parents had four other children to care for.

As she finished each page, she gingerly turned to the next one already knowing what words she would find there. This didn't feel right to her. She'd always felt that turning to a new page should be a thrilling experience. You were supposed to wonder, not know, what you would find as you made your way through a good book. But she knew this book backwards and forwards. She'd read it more times than she could count. And the same could be said for all her other books, so why bother going to get a different one?

Having finally had enough, Ria slammed the book shut and threw it across the courtyard for good measure. She sighed loudly and then slumped down onto her back, gazing up into the tree branches that spread about high over her head.

Moments later, Bambi came into her line of vision. He was looking down at her with a solemn sort of smile on his face.

"Excuse me, miss," he said, "I think you dropped something." He held up the book that Ria had just thrown. Evidently he had seen this happen from a distance.

"Hm," said Ria, distastefully eyeing the book in Bambi's hand.

Bambi snickered. "It's that bad, huh?"

"Hm," Ria repeated.

Bambi sat down on the ground next to her. "Look, Ria," he said. "If you don't like what's happening in the story, there's no need to take it out on the book. Especially when it looks like it's been through enough already," he added, examining the slightly dented cover of the book.

"I only hate it because I know exactly what's gonna happen next," said Ria jadedly. "The knight slays the dragon, rescues the princess, gets rewarded beyond his wildest dreams, they all live happily ever after, and, you guessed it, the end."

"Hm," said Bambi, pretending to be impressed. "Thanks for filling me in. I wondered how it was gonna end," he said jokingly. "So I take it you've read it more than once?"

"I've read it repeatedly," said Ria. "Along with every other book I own. I can recite them all by heart. I am so bored! I'm hungry for new material!" Each sentence she spoke was more hostile than the one before.

Bambi allotted her a moment to settle down before saying, "Well, there's always the library."

"Been there, done that," said Ria sulkily. "Those books are all old and dusty. I wish I could have a new new book. One that's not old and beat up. One that hasn't been drawn on and isn't missing any pages. And one I can call my own," she finished, with a hint of longing in her voice now.

"You know? My dad and I are heading out today to see my grandparents."

Ria gave him a questioning look.

"So I'm gonna be gone for a whole week," he continued. "And I really hate to think of all my books sitting up in my room collecting dust."

Ria's eyebrows raised.

"And they were all brand new when I got them. I've read most of them by now, but they're still in pretty good shape. I don't suppose you know a responsible guy, or girl, who'd like to keep an eye on them while I'm gone? And maybe even borrow them if they'd like?"

It was all Ria could do not to jump up and hug him. And she happily agreed.

The two of them left the courtyard and went up to Bambi's bedroom. Once inside, Bambi led Ria over to his writing desk. Ria couldn't believe her eyes. A dozen or so books were neatly arranged between two bookends. Their covers were sleek and beautiful and they looked almost brand new.

"Wow," said Ria absentmindedly.

"Help yourself to any one you'd like," said Bambi happily. "For the next week they're all yours."

"Are you sure about this? I'm almost afraid to touch these," said Ria.

"Oh, come on," said Bambi encouragingly. "I know you're responsible. I know I can trust you to take care of them."

Although she was apprehensive about being left in charge of such a grand collection of books, it meant a lot to Ria that Bambi trusted her this much. So she reached forward and, with a tentative hand, selected a book with a handsome dark green cover. Her eyes widened in amazement as she examined the title stamped in gold lettering.

"Ooh, Shakespeare," she said, suddenly disregarding her nerves.

The two of them said goodbye and Ria, book in hand, left Bambi to finish packing.

Resuming her spot under the tree in the courtyard, Ria opened the book to the first page and began to read. She couldn't believe her luck. Not only was she reading something she'd never read before, but the book she was holding was in almost new condition. There were no missing or tattered pages, no dents on the cover, and it even had a hint of that new book smell. On top of all that, this book belonged to the prince himself. All that combined made this book seem almost sacred to Ria.

By the time she'd finished reading, it was early in the afternoon. She could honestly say it had been the best reading experience she'd ever had. She was almost sorry that it had ended.

Ria got to her feet and left the courtyard to return Bambi's book to his room. When she got there, Bambi and had already left. Ria walked over to his desk and carefully placed the book back in its place amongst the others. As she did so, another book next to it caught her eye. One with a deep blue cover. Deciding there was still a little time before her parents needed her in the kitchen, Ria took it and began reading as she left the room.

Over the next couple of days, Ria did little more than read. When she wasn't needed in the kitchen, she was either in the courtyard reading or else in Bambi's room to return the book she'd finished and exchange it for a new one. She found that as soon as she'd started on a new book, she didn't seem to want to put it down. Before long, she was reading almost everywhere she went. She read alone in the shade while her sisters played in the sun. She read late into the night by the light of a candle, careful not to wake her family. She even read as she helped wash the breakfast dishes, with the book propped up against a milk jug and her barely noticing the growing stack of dirty dishes in the sink.

It wasn't until dinner on the third day that Ria suddenly became aware of just how obsessed she had become. The family was gathered at the circular table in the kitchen and Mr. Hare had just said grace.

"Ria? Ria?"

Ria was so caught up in her current book that she barely heard her mother repeatedly saying her name. Only when Tessie began tapping her on the shoulder did she finally look up.

"Huh? What?" she asked, looking around to see that her entire family was staring at her.

"No reading at the table, please," her mother said.

Ria looked down at her book again and felt herself blush slightly.

"Oh. Sorry, Mama," she said, closing the book and setting it down.

As Ria helped herself to a baked potato, Trixie suddenly said, "I've never seen that book before. Is it new?"

Realizing Trixie was talking to her, Ria said, "Oh. Uh, no. It's Bambi's."

She had said this in a completely casual voice, as though she thought borrowing books from the prince was something people did everyday. So she was slightly taken aback when she noticed everyone was staring at her yet again.

"What?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Prince Bambi?" Theodore asked skeptically. "As in my best friend Prince Bambi?"

"The same," said Ria.

"So the prince goes outta town for a week and you think it's okay to just help yourself to his stuff?" Theodore asked in a surprisingly serious, almost accusative, tone of voice.

"He said I could," said Ria defensively. "I wouldn't use his books without consent. He's letting me look after them while he's away."

"Yeah, well he once let Trixie ride his horse and look what that led to," said Theodore.

Trixie glared at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Ria, that was very considerate of him," said Mrs. Hare. "And it's good that you're enjoying this task that he set you, but I hope that you're also taking it seriously."

"That's right, Ria," agreed Mr. Hare. "Prince Bambi doesn't want you just to enjoy reading his books. He expects you to treat them with care until he gets back. And that's a big responsibility. Those aren't like the books you're used to."

Ria nodded wisely. None of this was news to her, especially not that last part. She'd noticed from the beginning that these books were much nicer than any book she'd ever owned. She'd even felt apprehensive at first when she'd seen them on Bambi's desk and realized that he was putting her in charge of them for an entire week. But these nerves had vanished when Bambi had told her how responsible she was. There was no need, she felt, for her parents to be telling her all this.

"I know," she said sincerely. "I'm being careful with them. I've read most of them from cover to cover and haven't even wrinkled a page."

"Still," said her mother, "you never know when something might go wrong. And, forgive me for saying so dear, but you do tend to forget what's going on around you whenever you pick up a book."

Theodore and the other girls all nodded and made concurring statements. But Ria ignored them.

"Mama, Papa," she said patiently, "I appreciate your advise, but it's all for naught. Bambi trusts me with his books, he told me so himself. He even said I was responsible. And when he comes home in a few days, he'll see that he left his books in the right hands. Trust me," she finished, and began to eat.

Mr. and Mrs. Hare exchanged looks and, apparently deciding they had said all they had to say, closed the case and continued with their dinner.

This was a prime example of just how stubborn Ria could be. Her parents had warned her to take her task seriously and to be careful with Bambi's books, but she felt it was unnecessary. Bambi knew she was responsible and even had the courtesy to tell her this. And so far, she had lived up to this expectation. As she had stated, she had already gotten through several books without causing any damage to them. But, as her parents had said, she had no way of knowing when something might happen to change that.

It happened the day before Bambi and his father were to return. Ria had selected the final book from Bambi's collection (one with a purple cover) and was making her way to the courtyard to read it. Once outside, she instinctively made her way over to the familiar tree, eyes glued to the book all the while.

As she slowly crossed the courtyard, Ria was so caught up in the book that she completely ignored two things. The first was that although it was a bright and sunny day, the ground beneath her was muddy and wet from the previous night's downpour. The second was that she was not alone in the courtyard. Some yards away, Daisy was having fun jumping and stomping around on the waterlogged grass.

"Hi, Ria!" Daisy called. "Whatcha doing? You wanna jump puddles with me?"

Ria neither listened nor answered. She just kept her attention on the book in her hands.

"Ria!?" Daisy called again.

Still Ria did not respond. She was almost in the shade of the tree when it happened.

"Ria!"

Daisy had appeared at Ria's side so suddenly, said her name so loudly, and nudged her on the shoulder with such force that Ria gave an involuntary scream and toppled over. She hit the soggy ground with a resounding SQUISH. For the slightest second, Ria was relieved that she had been holding something out in front of her with both hands. This had allowed her to land on her hands and knees, thus preventing her from receiving a face full of wet earth. But it wasn't until after she had sighed in relief and opened her eyes that she remembered exactly what she had been holding in front of her. Her book - Bambi's book - which had been in almost brand new condition not five minutes previously was now splattered with mud and blades of grass. Ria felt her heart skip a beat.

"Oh my gosh. Ria, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to get your attention. Here, let me help you up," Daisy offered nervously.

But Ria didn't want Daisy's assistance, let alone her apology. At the moment all she wanted was to crawl under a rock. As she staggered to her feet, she stared down at the ruined book and wondered if there was any chance of restoring it to its former glory, preferably before Bambi's return the next day.

"Ria, I..." Daisy began.

"Just forget it!" said Ria desperately.

Leaving Daisy behind, Ria darted out of the courtyard, slipping once or twice as she went, and ran to the kitchen as fast as her legs could carry her.

When she finally burst through the doors to the kitchen, she was glad to find it empty. Ria ran over to the sink, not even noticing the muddy footprints she had left behind her, and hurriedly filled it with water and suds. She then wetted a dish towel, wrung it out in her hands, and tried to wash the mud away from the book's cover. This did not have the desired effect. The soapy water had managed to wash away only some of the mud and, to Ria's horror, a fair amount of lettering from the book itself. Panic-stricken, Ria dried the water off with a dry towel. By this time though, the damage had already been done. Bambi's book was now stained, faded, and utterly unrecognizable.

Then she heard footsteps.

"Ooh, somebody's be in trouble," said Trixie's voice.

"You'd better have that cleaned up before Mama and Papa get back," agreed Tessie.

Knowing they were talking to her, Ria spun around to face them. "I know I ruined it! You don't have to rub it in!" she snapped at them.

To her surprise, Trixie and Tessie weren't actually looking at her. Both their eyes were fixed on the kitchen floor. Ria looked down and noticed for the first time the muddy footprints she had just planted. Feeling rather dumb, Ria quickly hid Bambi's book beneath her apron before either of them could look up at her.

"Uh, but don't worry," she covered. "I'll get that straightened up. I just need to take care of something and then I'll have the floor cleaned faster than you can say 'bibliophile'."

She then darted out of the kitchen before Trixie or Tessie could say a word and made her way to her bedroom. Once there, she shut the door behind her, unveiled Bambi's book, and stared down at it sadly. How could I have let this happen? she thought to herself. Then she remembered what her parents had told her just a few days earlier about being careful with other peoples' belongings. And she thought of how she'd failed to heed their instructions and how she had done the very thing they had warned her about. She had allowed herself to become so obsessed with reading Bambi's books that she had forgotten about keeping them clean and safe. What would they say if they found out? More importantly, what would Bambi say? Neither party would say she was responsible, that was for sure.

At that moment, Ria no longer felt like the witty, clever, responsible girl everyone thought she was. If she was responsible, she wouldn't have gotten herself into this situation. Instead, she was a frightened ten-year-old girl whose stubbornness had caused her to ignore her parents, break a promise she had made to a friend, and fail in the task of caring for something that didn't belong to her.

Not knowing what else to do, Ria hid the ruined book under her bed where no one would be able find it. She would worry about what she would tell Bambi later. Right now, there were other matters to attend to, such as cleaning up the mess she'd made in the kitchen and hoping that Daisy, who was the lone witness in the book's destruction besides Ria herself, wouldn't say a word to anyone else.

By lunchtime the next day, Ria still didn't know what she would say to Bambi, and he was due home anytime now. She knew she couldn't hide it from him forever. She didn't know if it was his favorite book, but the cover was purple - his favorite color. He'd surely notice it was missing.

It was small consolation that Daisy hadn't mentioned the book to anyone else in the family. Possibly, she had had so much fun splashing around in puddles that se'd forgotten all about it. Typical, Ria thought.

The family had just finished eating and began to clear the dishes when Oswald appeared through the kitchen doors and announced that Bambi and King Barron had returned. Ria nearly dropped her plate. Theodore anxiously ran off to welcome his friend home. Mr. and Mrs. Hare, certain that the king and prince would be requiring sustenance after their long journey, haphazardly began to make tea and asked the girls to finish clearing the dishes.

Once the dishes were all in the sink, Ria, knowing Bambi would be turning up any minute, offered to wash them. She decided that if she appeared to be busy, Bambi might overlook her, thereby allotting her a little more time to think of something to say about the book. So she filled the sink with soapy water and began scrubbing the dishes, thinking very hard as she did so.

In no time at all, Bambi and Theodore's voices could be heard outside the kitchen doors.

"You're sure it fits you alright? I wasn't sure if I got the right size."

"No no, it's great. And it fits like a glove. Thanks a lot, buddy."

Ria scrubbed the plate in her hand more vigorously so as to appear harder at work than she was. Seconds later, the doors opened and in came Theodore followed by Bambi and King Barron. Ria looked up only for a moment to join her family in greeting Bambi and his father. Bambi was hugging Tessie and carrying a large sack over his shoulder. Theodore was wearing a handsome red vest that he had not been wearing earlier. Ria then returned to her scrubbing and bit her lip. If there was anything in that sack for her, she didn't deserve... especially if it was a book.

As had been expected, King Barron requested tea and the rest of the Hare family obliged. While the rest of the family busied themselves preparing the tea tray, Theodore stood by and caught up with his friend. Ria heard him asking about the trip and about how his grandparents were doing.

"Yeah, they're great. And their village is incredible. It's a great place to do a little shopping," Bambi replied, indicating the sack that was slung over his shoulder.

"I'll say. Take a look at what he picked up for me!" Theodore announced to his family.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ria saw her brother striking a ridiculous pose, proudly displaying his new vest. It really was a nice one, although it did clash a bit with his casual orange shirt and brown pants.

"How lucky am I, huh?" Theodore asked the group at large. "I've got the best buddy in the whole world. I must really mean a lot to him."

Bambi scoffed and lightly slapped Theodore on the arm with the back of his hand. "Don't go thinking you're so special," he teased. "I got something for everyone; Faline, Florean, you, and the girls."

At the sound of the last two words, the four Hare girls all stopped what they were doing. There was silence for a moment. Then Trixie, Daisy, and Tessie dropped whatever they were holding. They ran over to Bambi, stopping inches in front of him, and looked expectantly up at him. The adults all chuckled.

"I should've known that was coming," Bambi said with a smile.

So should I, Ria thought, scrubbing the soapy dish in her hand extra vigorously out of both anger and nerves.

"Ria?" said Theodore's voice.

Ria winced slightly and looked up from her work to face everyone else.

"Didn't you hear him?" Theodore asked her. "He's got somethin' for you."

Ria chuckled nervously. Feeling she had no choice now, she set down the soapy dish, dried her hands on her apron, and walked over to receive her gift, hoping it wouldn't be a new book.

"Okay Bambi, we're all here now," said Daisy, unable to control herself. "Don't keep us in suspense. I wanna see... uh, please," she added innocently.

Far from being offended, Bambi chuckled.

"Okay, okay. Let's see," he said, removing the sack from his shoulder and reaching inside.

He then pulled out one amateurishly wrapped parcel after another and began handing them out.

"Trixie... Daisy... Tessie and... Ria."

Ria took the parcel he held out to her and felt her heart sink. It was just as she had feared. She could tell what her present was just by the way it felt through the brown paper. By now, she was very familiar with the way books felt in her hands. So instead of opening it, she watched with everyone else as Trixie, Daisy, and Tessie unwrapped a stuffed toy horse, a tin whistle, and a silver charm bracelet respectively.

"Aw! It looks just like Serenity's filly!" said Trixie, admiring her dark gray plushy from all angles.

"Ooh, pretty," said Tessie, fastening her charm bracelet onto her wrist. "And it first perfectly!"

"Wow!" said Daisy in awe as she eyed her tin whistle.

She then lifted it to her lips and blew hard. The piercing sound it made made everyone cover their ears, but Daisy didn't seem to notice.

"I'm an expert already," Daisy said in naive pride. "Thanks a lot, Bambi!"

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Bambi," said Theodore sarcastically, giving Bambi a very dark look. "She's never gonna put that thing down. She's gonna drive us all crazy."

"Hey, it was that or a tambourine," said Bambi in a quiet voice.

Theodore looked back at Daisy, who was still making a great deal of noise with her tin whistle.

He then turned to Bambi and said, "Thank you," as though deciding that the tin whistle would truly make him less crazy than a tambourine.

Ria stood by and pretended to be more interested in her sister's gifts than she really was, hoping Bambi would be so caught up in how much they loved theirs that he would forget that he had given her one too. No such luck.

"Ria?" Bambi said suddenly, making her look up at him. "Aren't you gonna open yours?"

This caused every head in the room to turn Ria's way. She gave them all an unconvincing smile and shakily removed the paper. When she'd finished, a brand new book with a sky blue cover that matched her dress perfectly was there in her hands.

Ria stared down at the beautiful novel not feeling at all like her usual self. A week ago, she would have leapt with joy if someone had presented her with a brand new book. But looking at this one, all she could think was how much she didn't deserve it and how she was bound to ruin it.

"Is something wrong?" Bambi asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Keep it," she said suddenly, thrusting the book back into his hands.

"Why?" asked Bambi, taken by surprise.

"I don't want it. I don't deserve it," said Ria quickly. "I never want to see a brand new book as long as I live. I'll just ruin it like I ruined your..."

Ria stopped herself before she could go any further. But it was too late. She had said enough. Everyone stared at her in silent suspicion. It was terrible. Ria stood there hating every uncomfortably quiet second. The chips were down now. She had more or less confessed and knew now that she was in for a world of trouble.

"Ria?" Mrs. Hare finally said.

Ria looked nervously up at her parents.

"Is there something you'd like to tell us?" her mother asked, hands on her hips.

Ria sighed.

"I'll be be right back," she said glumly.

Feeling everyone's eyes watching her, Ria walked out of the kitchen, dragging her feet as she did so, and went to retrieve the book she had damaged from under her bed. When she returned moments later, she walked up to Bambi, looked up at him with sad eyes and a hanging head, and held the book out to him, trembling.

Looking more puzzled than angry, Bambi took it from her and examined the faded, mud-stained cover. "Is this mine?" he asked, sounding as though he didn't really need an explanation.

Ria nodded and gazed down at the kitchen floor.

"Ria, what did your father tell you?" said Mrs. Hare sternly.

In spite of the situation, Theodore looked instinctively at his mother and then shook his head. "It's so weird to hear Ma say that to someone else," he said to no one in particular. Everyone ignored him.

"I know. I'm sorry," Ria said to her parents.

"There's no point in apologizing to us, young lady," said Mr. Hare, nodding pointedly at Bambi.

But Bambi held up a hand and said, "It's fine. At least it's just this one... It is just this one, right?" he added, looking at Ria.

Ria nodded.

"Well all the same, Ria, you were in charge of all of them," Mrs. Hare continued. "I hope you learned something from this."

Unsure of what to say in response, Ria stared sadly at the ground. There was silence for a few seconds and then...

"I know she learned something from this."

To Ria's amazement, it was King Barron who had spoken. She looked questioningly up at him and he gave her a surprisingly kind look. He knelt down so that his brown eyes met her blue ones and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ria, I know it wasn't easy for you to admit your mistake," he told her. "But you've proven to be very responsible in doing so."

"I sure didn't feel responsible when it happened," Ria admitted.

"We all make mistakes, dear one," Barron said gently. "But a truly responsible person is honest about their mistakes. And a truly wise person learns from their mistakes."

Ria gave him a sheepish smile and then looked up at Bambi.

"I really am sorry, Bambi. Are you... angry with me?" she asked lamely.

"Well I'm not too happy about this," Bambi said, indicating the book. "But I'd be a lot less happy if you'd kept it from me or lied to me."

"Understood," said Ria, nodding.

Bambi gave her a very brotherly look. "Ria, when I said you were responsible, it was because I trusted you to be honest with me if something happened. I know you didn't mean for this to happen."

Ria shook her head. "Of course I didn't. And I didn't do it myself either," she added as an afterthought. "Daisy helped a little."

Everyone looked at Daisy, who quietly hid her new tin whistle behind her back as though expecting Bambi to take it away from her. He didn't.

"Well, if it happens again, don't be afraid to tell me, okay?" Bambi asked Ria. "If you're gonna be my advisor someday, I need you to be honest with me."

Ria chuckled for the first time. "Alright. Thank you, Bambi," she said, hugging him gratefully.

"So, you still want me to keep this?" he asked, holding up the book he had given her.

Now feeling like her usual self again, Ria swiped the book from his hand and said, "Thanks, I love it. I can't wait to start."

They both laughed, completely ignoring Theodore saying to his other sisters, "So, Trixie steals the king's horse and now Ria and Daisy trash the prince's book." He then looked at Tessie and said, "I'm keepin' an eye on you."

Tessie stuck out her tongue.