The Amulet and the Anthem
Sofia and Madeline, along with Ruby and Jade, were out at the annual Harvest Festival.
"It looks like every kid in the kingdom is here!" Sofia exclaimed.
"That's because they are!" Ruby smiled. "Being chosen to sing the national anthem at the annual harvest festival is a really big deal!"
"I know!" Madeline gushed. "I hope I get chosen!"
"From the silver flying horses of the ever golden glade..." Ruby sang.
"To the dragons on the cliff tops of the blazing palisades." Jade joined in. "Enchancia, Enchancia, come hear our humble call. Enchancia, Enchancia, a land for one and all."
"Yay!" Sofia cheered. "You two sound amazing!"
"Oh, thank you." Ruby said haughtily, as she and Jade curtsied.
"May I have your attention, please?" A man on the stage asked. "Thank you."
"It's Luciano!" Ruby gasped. "The host of the harvest festival!"
The girls made their way over to the stage.
"Now is the moment you have all been waiting for." Luciano announced. "Who will sing the Enchancian anthem at this year's harvest festival? The luck of the draw will decide." He held up a small piece of wood. "On each piece of wood, the name of a young maiden. A dream, waiting to come true!" He placed the wood into the drawer. "But alas, only one will sing the Enchancian anthem."
A young boy turned the crank of the drawer. A single piece of wood came out through the slot, and onto the plate below. Luciano picked it up.
"This year's singer will be..." Luciano declared.
"Pick me, pick me, pick me!" Ruby whispered, fingers crossed.
"Princess Madeline!" Luciano announced.
The crowd cheered.
"Oh." Ruby said. "Alright, Madeline!"
"Congratulations." Jade smiled.
"Good for you, Maddie." Sofia declared.
"Princess Madeline, come up to the stage." Luciano requested.
"Go on, go on!" Ruby urged her.
"I'll be right back." Madeline told them.
"We'll wait for you here!" Jade called.
"Great!" Madeline smiled.
Madeline got up and went on stage, as the crowd cheered.
"Thank you." She smiled, taking her place on a stand. "This is so exciting!"
"Yes, yes." Luciano agreed. "Now, wave to the crowd."
"Okay." Madeline complied.
"This year's lucky winner!" Luciano announced. "Brava!"
The crowd cheered even louder.
"Okay princess Madeline, you have much to do, and the festival is tomorrow." Luciano declared. "So we must get started right now."
"But, my friends, my sister-" Madeline protested.
"No-no-no-no." Luciano interrupted her, leading her away from the crowd. "This is no time for that sort of thing. You are the anthem singer. You have people to meet, gifts to receive, and of course you must rehearse the song. But first, the very best part: You get to meet the king and queen of Enchancia!"
A nearby tent was opened, revealing Roland, Miranda, Amber and James.
"Mom, dad!" Madeline cheered, running over to them.
"Ah, you've met." Luciano said awkwardly.
"I'm so happy for you, Madeline." Miranda hugged her.
"As am I." Roland added. "Perhaps Amber can offer you tips for your big performance. You know, she was chosen to sing the anthem a few years ago."
"Oh daddy, Madeline remembers." Amber boasted. "I mean, who could forget? I was amazing. Oh Madeline, you are going to have the best time. Look, the painterazzi are already lining up to paint your portrait."
A trio of painters were indeed trying to immortalize Madeline in paint.
"Really?" Madeline gasped. "They want to paint me? Hi there!"
"And, if you sing the anthem even half as well as I did, they'll give you a standing ovation!" Amber declared. "Which is just like clapping, except they stand up when they do it!"
"Wow." Madeline gasped.
"Now, it is time for your interviews." Luciano led her away.
"Interviews?" Madeline asked.
"With the newspapers." Luciano pulled back the cloth, revealing a group of reporters. "The Enchancia Times, The Dunwitty Post, and Enchancia Today all want to write stories about you!"
"Me?" Madeline smiled.
"See?" Amber joined her. "And you thought being a princess was a big deal."
Back at the stage, Sofia, Ruby and Jade were still waiting, the rest of the audience having left.
"Do you think we should go?" Ruby asked.
"She's been gone a long time." Jade declared.
"Yes, she has." Sofia agreed.
"Girls!" Madeline cried as she raced towards them, wearing a fancy hat. "I'm so sorry! There was so much going on, and I couldn't get away until now."
"It's okay." Ruby smiled. "How was it?"
"Unbelievable!" Madeline declared. "They gave me this one-of-a-kind hat, that was made just for me."
"It's so pretty." Ruby gaped. "It looks-"
"And that's not all." Madeline interrupted. "They're going to send hundreds of gowns to the castle, and I get to pick which to wear for the festival."
"That sounds like fun." Jade smiled.
"Doesn't it?" Madeline grinned. "I'm getting so many gifts, and all the newspapers in the whole Kingdom want to write stories about me, and they're giving me all these gowns to chose from..."
"We know, Madeline." Sofia declared. "You told us that already."
"Oh, right," Madeline shrugged. "Everyone's treating me like I'm really important. I mean, I know I'm already a princess, but now I feel really special."
"How nice for you." Ruby said.
"Princesses Madeline, over here!" A painterazzi called. "Might the new anthem singer pose for us, huh?" He pointed to Sofia, Ruby and Jade. "And you three, step aside, You're in the frame."
"You guys don't mind, do you?" Madeline asked.
"We were just going, anyway." Jade said through gritted teeth.
"We were?" Ruby asked. Jade glared at her. "Oh, right. We gotta go. Bye, Madeline!"
"I'm going to find mom and dad." Sofia declared.
"Bye, girls." Madeline waved. "Maybe we can play later. Oh, wait! I have rehearsals. I'll see you tomorrow at the festival then. I mean, you'll see me on stage."
As Madeline chuckled, her amulet began to glow purple...
Later, Madeline walked back on stage.
"Princesses Madeline, welcome to your first rehearsal." Luciano smiled. "This is your orchestra. Say hello
"Hello, orchestra." Madeline waved.
"Hello, princesses Madeline." The orchestra waved back.
"Shall we begin?" Luciano asked.
"Okay." Madeline nodded. "From the silver flying horses of the ever golden- ribbit!"
Madeline suddenly let out a croak.
"Oh!" She gasped. "Um, let me try again. From the silver flying- ribbit!"
Another croak Madeline's throat.
"Are you okay, princess Madeline?" Luciano asked.
"Well, Mr. Luciano, I am a bit tired." Madeline declared. "But don't worry. I know the anthem by heart."
"Alright then." Luciano smiled. "Go and get some rest. We'll see you at the festival tomorrow, when you sing for the entire kingdom."
"Thank- ribbit!" Madeline croaked again as she walked offstage. "You."
Back at the castle, Madeline rushed into her and Sofia's bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"Yo, congratulations, princess!" Clover smiled, hopping over to her. "I heard the big news from Sofia!"
"Thanks, but something's wrong- ribbit!" Madeline covered her mouth. "I keep- ribbit! doing that. Every time I- ribbit!"
"Uh-oh." Clover gulped. "I don't like the sound of that."
"What do you think's wrong with me?" Madeline asked, kneeling down.
"Well, I'm no expert." Clover admitted. "But when a nice young princess like you starts croaking like a frog, that usually only means one thing: You've been cursed, Madeline!"
"Cursed- ribbit!" Madeline gasped. "You mean like, put under a magic spell?"
"We don't know that for sure." Clover shrugged. "You should probably see a sorcerer."
Madeline croaked again.
"Like Mr. Cee-drick?" She suggested.
"Yeah, I guess he'll have to do." Clover rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I'd better go now." Madeline got up. "Clover, am I going to turn into a frog?"
"Nah." Clover replied. "Only princes turn into frogs. Although I did hear about a swan who turned into a princess once. No-no-no-no, it was a princess who turned into a swan!"
"Oh- ribbit!" Madeline croaked.
"Don't worry, Maddie." Clover smiled. "I'll go with you."
As Madeline exited the bedroom, she was approached by Baileywick.
"Madeline, I've been looking everywhere for you." He declared. "It's time to pick out your dress for the Harvest Festival."
"But Baileywick, I have to- ribbit!" Madeline croaked.
"What was that?" Baileywick asked.
"Nothing!" Madeline smile falsely.
Madeline and Baileywick entered a spherical, multi-level room. Baileywick pulled a tassle, revealing several dresses behind some curtains.
"Wow!" Madeline gasped. "Look at all these gowns!"
Amber was on a higher level, perusing some other gowns.
"Oh, hi, Amber!" Madeline called. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd help you pick your dress." Amber climbed down the ladder.
"That's really nice of you." Madeline smiled.
"I know." Amber agreed.
"So, which one do you- ribbit!" Madeline croaked again.
"Oh" Amber gasped. "Is there... a frog in here?"
"Oh, I don't think so, princess Amber." Baileywick declared.
"There are only three things I'm afraid of: Failure, not being popular, and frogs!" Amber trembled.
"Psst, Madeline!" Clover whispered from behind a curtain. "I got your back, princess. You'll see."
At Clover's signal, a bullfrog hopped into the room, and onto the ladder. As Amber backed toward it, it croaked.
"Ah!" Amber yelped. "Frog! Save me, Baileywick, save me!"
Amber ran over to Baileywick. They both jumped when the bullfrog hopped their way.
"I'll take this one." Madeline hastily picked a dress. "Now, let's get away from that- ribbit! -bullfrog."
"My sentiments exactly." Baileywick agreed.
They all left the room, Baileywick carrying Amber in his arms. The bullfrog hopped over to Clover, and they high-fived.
"Thanks, Clover." Madeline smiled. "That was a close- ribbit!"
"That was a really close croak- I mean, call!" Clover said. "Now, let's get you to Cedric's, quick!"
Over in Cedrice workshop, the royal sorcerer was standing over a window box, mixing a potion in two beakers.
"Time to water the begonias." He declared. "Once this potion's mixed, a pouring rain will come, but quick!"
A large puff of smoke emerged from the potion, forming a cloud that rained on Cedric's head. While he grumbled, Wormwood chuckled.
Meanwhile, Sofia and Clover were making their way up the tower.
"Why do sorcerers always have to make it so hard to get to them?" Clover puffed, before collapsing to the floor.
"I'd better go in by myself." Madeline decided.
Taking a deep breath, Madeline opened the door.
"Oh, Mr. Cee-drick?" She called.
"It's Cedric." Cedric groaned, as he slid down the ladder. "Ceeeee-dric."
"I need your help." Madeline told him. "I'm supposed to sing tomorrow, but I- ribbit! I've been croaking like a- ribbit! -like a frog, ever since this morning! What's wrong with me?"
"What's wrong with you?" Cedric chuckled. "What's wrong with you? I knew this day would come! I mean, oh, boo-hoo, you poor little thing. You've gone and got yourself cursed!"
"So I am cursed?" Madeline asked. "How? By who?"
"Well, by your precious amulet, no doubt." Cedric smarmed.
"My amulet?" Madeline gasped. "I thought it only gave me magical powers."
"Oh, how soon you forget." Cedric declared, directing her to his spell book, opened to the Amulet's page. "The Amulet of Avalor. With each deed performed, for better or worse, a power is granted, a blessing or curse. You, my dear, must have done a very bad deed."
"But I haven't done anything bad!" Madeline protested.
"Well then, your Amulet wouldn't have cursed you, now wouldn't it?" Cedric asked.
"I guess you're right." Madeline sighed. "But what did I do?"
"Well how would i know that?" Cedric pushed his wheeled chair across the workshop. He stopped, looking at Madeline's Amulet. "I mean, it doesn't really matter what you did. If you just let me look at your Amulet, perhaps I could find a way to undo it's curse."
"I can't take it off." Madeline told him. "I promised dad I wouldn't."
"Oh, you've already done one bad thing today." Cedric smirked. "What's one more?"
"Is there anything else you can do?" Madeline asked. "I was hoping you'd have an undo-a-croaking-curse spell in one of your books."
"Oh well, I can certainly take a look." Cedric said nonchalantly, gliding over to a book and quickly flipping the pages."Nope. Sorry, no such spell. I'm afraid I will need your Amulet. It's the only way."
"I'm sorry." Madeline sighed. "I-ribbit! I can't."
"Suit yourself." Cedric shrugged. "But I'm only looking out for you, my dear princess."
Cedric conjured a green cloud, which created an image of the Festival stage, where a frog with Madeline's head hopped onto the stand.
"I mean, I wouldn't want you to walk out on stage at the Harvest Festival in front of all those people, just waiting to hear you sing, and have you get all croaked up." Cedric continued.
The frog Madeline croaked, and the green smoke dissipated.
"You know were I am if you need me." Cedric smiled.
"Okay." Madeline sighed, heading for the door. "Thanks anyway, Mr. Cee-drick. Ribbit!"
After Madeline left the room, Cedric turned to Wormwood.
"Soon, she'll be desperate enough to give me her magical Amulet." He sneered. "But I won't be fixing it for her, oh no-no-no. I will use it myself to take over this whole kingdom." He created a tiny version of the castle in his hand. "Oh, soon, Wormwood, it will all be mine!"
Wormwood cawed.
"Fine, it will be ours." Cedric declared, then quickly added "But mostly mine!"
Clover was waiting to meet Madeline outside the workshop.
"Well?" He asked.
"The Amulet cursed me-ribbit!" Madeline groaned. "Because I did something bad."
"You, do something bad?" Clover said in disbelief. "Hop outta town! I don't believe it!"
"I must have." Madeline insisted. "Or I wouldn't be- ribbit! -croaking."
"Well, we gotta figure out what you did wrong." Clover declared. "If we can figure it out, maybe we can undo the curse."
"Great idea-ribbit!" Madeline replied. "But what can it be?"
That night, Madeline paced around the bedroom. Sofia was attending a sleepover at Ruby's house.
"Anything?" Clover asked.
"Not yet." Madeline sighed. "But so much has happened since I was picked to sing at the Festival. It's hard to remember." She fell backfirst onto the bed. "Oh, Clover, what am I going to do?"
"I don't know." Clover yawned. "But it's getting late, and you should get some sleep. We can figure it out in the morning."
"We have to!" Madeline exclaimed. "The Festival is tomorrow!"
"I know." Clover clambered into a cushion. "Good night, Madeline."
Madeline croaked again.
The night morning, Clover roused Madeline.
"Madeline, wake up!" He yelled. "I have an idea!"
"What?" Madeline croaked.
"We gotta hop back." Clover smiled.
"Hop... what?" Madeline asked.
"Hop back." Clover repeated. "Whenever I lose a carrot, I hop back. I retrace my steps, go back exactly the way I came until I find it. That's all we gotta do to figure out why you were cursed; Go over everything you did yesterday!"
"Good idea." Madeline smiled.
"I know, right?" Clover chuckled.
"Well, we'd better hurry-ribbit!" Madeline croaked.
A short while later, Madeline was walking down the stairs, carrying a basket with Clover inside.
"Ah, princess Madeline." Baileywick smiled. "Excited for your big day today?"
"Mm-hmm." Madeline mumbled.
"Good luck!" Baileywick declared.
"Thank you-ribbit!" Madeline croaked.
Over at the Festival, Madeline recalled the events of the previous day.
"Okay Clover, I came here in the morning, with Sofia, Ruby and Jade." Madeline mused.
"Okay, then what happened?" Clover asked.
"Then Mr. Luciano announced I was going to be-ribbit! -the anthem singer, and brought me onstage." Madeline continued.
"Mm-hmm." Clover nodded. "Did you say 'thank you'?"
"Uh-huh." Madeline nodded back.
"Okay, so far, so good." Clover declared.
"After that, Mr. Luciano brought me to see mom and dad." Madeline smiled. "Everyone congratulated me."
"Did you thank them?" Clover asked.
"Yes, Clover." Madeline rolled her eyes.
"Just checking'." Clover retorted.
"And the newspaper reporters interviewed me here." Madeline declared as she moved across the path. "And the townspeople gave me a bunch of gifts here."
"And did you thank them?" Clover asked.
"I thanked all of them." Madeline sighed.
"Well, we can rule out bad manners." Clover noted.
"Then I remembered that Sofia, Jade and Ruby were waiting for me, and I ran back to find them." Madeline recalled. "Then I told them about everything. I was so excited-ribbit! Then the paintrazzi came to paint my portrait, Sofia and the others left, and then I went back on stage to start rehearsing. And then-ribbit! That's when it started."
"You got me, Madeline." Clover shrugged. "It sounds like you didn't do anything wrong."
"I must have done some-ribbit!" Madeline croaked, then sighed.
"Singing the anthem was the best experience ever." Amber declared, as she and her friends passed by. "Everybody wanted to interview me and give me gifts. Oh, and did I tell you about the standing ovation I got?"
"Sheesh, listen to her!" Clover snorted. "How can all her friends stand to hear her bragging about herself so much?"
"Oh, and all the paintrazzi in the entire kingdom wanted to paint my portrait." Amber boasted.
"Mm-mm-mm." Clover shook his head. "You think she even knows what she sounds like when she brags like that?"
"She sounds like... me!" Madeline realized. "I was doing that-ribbit!"
"Doing what?" Clover asked.
"Bragging." Madeline declared. "To everyone. I was going on and on about all the great things that were happening to me. And they wanted to sing the anthem too. I bet they already felt bad, and I made them feel worse. That must be why I'm cursed!"
"That's great!" Clover cheered. "I mean, you shouldn't've done that, but that's great! Now we know what you did!"
"Maybe if I tell them I'm sorry-ribbit! -the curse will go away." Madeline considered.
"It's worth a shot." Clover shrugged.
A while later, clad in her chosen dress, Madeline ran through the crowd, to cheers from onlookers. She quickly found Sofia, Ruby and Jade.
"Can I talk to you?" She asked.
"Are you sure you have time?" Jade grimaced. "I'm sure there are lots more interviews and gifts to get."
"Jade, that's not nice!" Ruby protested.
"It's okay." Madeline sighed. "I deserve it-ribbit!"
"Are you okay, Maddie?" Sofia asked.
"I'm fine." Madeline replied. "It's... It doesn't matter. I just wanted to tell you all that yesterday, I should haven't bragging about being the anthem singer. It wasn't very nice of me, and I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings."
"You did." Jade confirmed.
"But it's okay." Ruby added.
"We forgive you." Sofia smiled.
"You do?" Madeline asked.
"Of course." Jade nodded.
"So we're still friends?" Madeline asked.
"Why do you think we're here, Madeline?" Jade pointed out. "We weren't going to miss you singing the anthem."
"Maddie, we're sisters, no matter what." Sofia told her. "And sisters stand by each other."
"Thank you all." Madeline hugged them. "You're the best friends... and sister!"
"Should you get on stage?" Ruby asked, as a bell rang. "I think the Festival is about to start."
"Right." Madeline started walking. "See you all soon."
"Okay, Maddie." Sofia waved.
As Madeline ran backstage, Cedric stopped her.
"Oh, just the princess I was looking for." He smirked.
"Mr. Cee-drick." Madeline said. "I figured out why I was cursed, and I think I fixed it-Ribbit!"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Cedric sneered. "You were croaking- I mean, saying?"
"I'm still cursed?" Madeline gasped.
"Oh no, and the show is about to begin." Cedric noted. "So if you want to have any chance at singing the anthem, you'd better give me the Amulet."
"I... can't." Madeline told him.
"Well, I'll be right over there by the stage if you change your mind." Cedric declared. "But time is running out. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock."
As Cedric slunk away, the bell rang again.
"Hello, Enchancia!" Luciano announced. "We are just moments away from hear princess Madeline sing the Enchancian anthem!"
As the crowd cheered, Madeline hide behind the stage, at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, her Amulet started glowing. A flash of light caught her attention, and she looked across the field to see princess Belle.
"Princess Belle!" She gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"Princesses Madeline, your Amulet brought me here to help." Belle explained.
"The Amulet put a curse on me." Madeline exclaimed. "I already apologized to Sofia, Ruby and Jade for bragging, but I'm still croaking! I don't know what else to- ribbit! -do. Can you help me?"
"Well, the only person who can undo the curse is you." Belle declared.
"I was afraid you'd say that." Madeline sighed.
Belle: I've got a tale to tell about a beast I knew Who fell deep under a spell that he couldn't undo And though he tried to say that yes his heart was true There was just one way to break that curse in two
He saw my plight Put up a fight He tried his best To make it right
To fix your mess Do more than confess Use all your might To make it right
You found a brand new crowd And brushed your friends aside Too proud a little to loud So now your tongue is tied
You want to set things straight You gotta go for broke By doing something great You just might lose that croak
You could delight Your friends tonight They'd be impressed You tried to make it right
To fix your mess Do more than confess Use all your might To make it right
I'm sorry is a phrase that's often heard But actions speak louder than words
You could delight Sofia: I could delight Belle: Your friends tonight Sofia: My friends to-ribbit! Belle: They'd be impressed Sofia: I tried my best Both: To make it right
Belle: To fix your mess Sofia: Do more than conf-ribbit!
Belle: Just keep your goal plainly in sight And use all your might
Sofia: And make it-ribbit! I'll make it-ribbit!
Belle: You'll make it...
Sofia: Right! Ribbit!
"So I have to do something that shows everybody I'm sorry." Madeline realized. "But what?"
"Well, think about what you could do to make your friends and sister happy." Belle suggested.
Madeline looked over at her friends and sister.
"I think i know what to do!" She gasped. "Thank you-"
Belle had disappeared, leaving a swirl of flower petals in her wake.
"...Princess Belle." Madeline finished.
As Madeline walked back to the stage, she was once again accosted by Cedric.
"Well, I see you've discovered there's only one way out of your predicament." Cedric smirked, holding out his hand.
"Yep." Madeline nodded. "Wish me luck, Mr. Cee-drick."
"What?" Cedric gaped, as Madeline walked past him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Harvest Festival stage: princess Madeline!" Luciano proclaimed.
The stage curtains opened, revealing Madeline. The crowd cheered as she stepped forward.
"Hi, everyone." Madeline smiled. "I'd like to sing today, but I can't, because I- ribbit! -have a frog in my throat."
The crowd gasped. Clover winked at Madeline.
"But it's okay, because I don't- ribbit! -deserve to sing the anthem." Madeline admitted. "I wasn't nice to my friends yesterday, and I want to do something to make it up to them. So I'd like to ask my best friends, Ruby and Jade, to come up here now and sing the Enchancian anthem for you. Ruby, Jade?"
"Uhh, us?" Ruby said nervously.
"Uh-huh." Madeline nodded.
Ruby and Jade went onstage, to more applause.
"You really want us to sing?" Ruby asked.
"I really, really- ribbit! -do." Madeline smiled.
"Thank you, Madeline!" Jade beamed. "This is a really big honor."
"Huge!" Ruby added, as the three girls hugged. "It's a huge honor!"
Madeline stepped off the stand.
"Maestro?" She told the conductor.
As the orchestra started playing, Madeline walked off stage and over to Clover, patting his head.
From the silver flying horses Of the ever golden glades To the dragons on the cliff tops Of the blazing palisades
"We're so proud of you, Madeline!" Roland smiled.
"Look how happy you've made your friends." Miranda hugged her.
"Way to go, Maddie." Sofia congratulated her sister.
Enchancia, Enchancia Come hear our humble call Enchancia, Enchancia A land for one and all
Madeline's Amulet glowed once more.
"Princess Madeline, your friends sing, how do you say in Enchancia, 'Awesome'!" A paintrazzi declared.
"They really do." Madeline agreed. "They're singing it better then I would have. ...Hey, wait a second. I'm not croaking! I am speaking to you right now, and I am not croaking!" She kneeled down to talk to Clover. "Clover, I did it! The curse is gone!"
"Alright, princess!" Clover cheered. "Gimmee some paw!"
Madeline patted Clover's paw.
Ruby&jada
Where the valiant knights protect us
From the darkest evil spells
And your wishes all come true here
If they're made in wishing wells
Ruby and Jade motioned for Madeline to join them. Madeline shook her head. Undaunted. they came over and pulled her onto the stand. Sofia joined them, and they all sang together.
Enchancia, Enchancia A beacon shining bright Enchancia, Enchancia Where all our dreams take flight
As the song ended, a quartet of flying horses flew over the crowd. As the applause returned, the four girls hugged each other