Dads And Daughters Day
In the courtyard of castle Enchancia, Sofia and Madeline were playing a game of Dazzleball with Roland.
"Go long, girls!" Roland called, holding the Dazzleball, which was currently a football.
"Okay, dad!" Sofia smiled.
"Going long!" Madeline added, as they both ran ahead.
Roland threw the Dazzleball, which turned into a Frisbee. Sofia managed to grab it.
"Nice catch, Sofia!" Roland smiled.
"Thanks, dad!" Sofia beamed. "Coming back at you!"
Sofia tossed the Frisbee, which turned back into a football. As Roland caught it, Amber and James came down the steps.
"Sofia, Madeline, time for school." Amber called.
"Okay." Madeline nodded. "We're just finishing up some Dazzleball practice." She grabbed the Frisbee.
"Good grab, Madeline!" Roland smiled.
"Can we practice some more tomorrow, dad?" Sofia asked.
"Please?" Madeline added.
"Absolutely, girls." Roland nodded. "Same time, same palace?"
"You got it!" Sofia chuckled.
"Catch!" Madeline threw the Frisbee.
Roland caught the Frisbee just before it hit a servant's face.
"Bye, dad!" Both girls called as they got into the coach.
Later, at Royal Prep, the class were greeted by Miss Elodie.
"Good morning, Miss Elodie!" They chanted.
"It is not a good morning." Miss Elodie replied. "It's a great morning! Because I have some very exciting news: At the end of the week, we're taking our Dads and Daughters field trip to the Enchanted Animal Park!"
The class were overjoyed.
"Excellent!" Amber smiled.
"Fabulous!" Hildegard added.
"Fun!" Kari cheered.
"'Dads and Daughters field trip'?" Sofia frowned.
"What's that?" Madeline asked.
"Oh, that's right." Amber noted. "You haven't gone before."
"We go canoeing with our dads, have a picnic with our dads, play games with our dads..." Kari revealed.
"And best of all, we get to see the amazing Enchanted Animals we've been learning about face to face!" Miss Elodie beamed. "Nose to snout! Eye to bright purple eye!"
"With out dads." Kari added.
"That sounds amazing!" Sofia smiled.
"I can't wait to go!" Madeline grinned.
"You'll have a wonderful time, girls." Hildegard declared. "Even if Roland isn't your real father."
"Hildegard!" Amber hissed.
"Why would you say that?" Sofia frowned.
"I just meant that he only became your dad when your mom married him." Hildegard explained.
"That makes him Sofia and Madeline's step-dad." Amber countered. "And step-dads are just as real as dad-dads!"
"Yes, of course they are." Hildegard said awkwardly. "Forget I said anything, girls."
Amber smiled at her sisters. Sofia smiled back, but Madeline was a little worried.
At the castle, the girls were packing for the trip.
"Do we need to pack sunhats?" Madeline asked.
"No, Madeline." Amber rushed over to a closet and opened it, revealing many hats. "You need to pack ten sunhats!"
"Wow..." Sofia gasped.
"You never know when you'll need a wardrobe change." Amber brought some hats to her suitcase.
"Hi, girls!" Roland entered the room, carrying another suitcase. "Amber, sweetie, look what I found when I was packing for the trip!"
Roland pulled out a dented canteen.
"The leaky canteen!" He and Amber chorused, before laughing together.
"The what?" Madeline asked. "I don't get it."
"Me neither." Sofia shrugged.
"Oh, it's just something silly that happened on the last Dads and Daughters trip." Roland declared.
"I kept thinking daddy was drinking all the water!" Amber giggled. "And he kept thinking I was drinking all the water. But really..."
"The canteen was leaking the whole time!" They said together. "I was going to say the same thing!" They both laughed."
"Ha! That must have been really fun!" Madeline laughed awkwardly.
"What's this, dad?" Sofia picked up a pocket watch.
"Oh, that's my lucky pocket watch." Roland declared. "I never travel anywhere without it."
"Oh, daddy!" Amber called, she and Violet trying to close her suitcase. "Can you help us over here?"
As Roland went to help, Madeline opened the watch, a portrait of Amber and James inside.
"That's a good picture of Amber and James." She noted.
"Yes, it's one of my favorites." Roland nodded.
"Daddy, remember on our last trip, when I put out a bowl of golden berries for the picnic?" Amber asked.
"And a Wonder bird came and ate the whole bowl?" They said together, laughing again.
"Good one!" Roland smiled.
"Classic me!" Amber chuckled.
"Classic you." Roland nodded.
Madeline sighed, and left the room. Sofia, sensing something was wrong, followed. As they walked into the corridor, she was about to ask what was the matter, when Miranda appeared.
"Girls, are you all packed for the trip?" She asked.
"Almost." Sofia nodded.
"But..." Madeline frowned.
"But what, Maddie?" Sofia asked.
"I'm not sure we should go." Madeline confessed.
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Sofia added.
"Well, we'll be the only ones there with a step-dad." Madeline pointed out. "Everyone else has a real dad."
"Oh, Madeline." Miranda smiled. "Roland is your dad."
"Mom's right, Maddie." Sofia agreed.
"And he told me he couldn't wait to go on this trip with all of his daughters." Miranda added.
"He said that?" Madeline smiled hopefully.
"Yes." Miranda nodded. "And you're going to have a great time. Trust me."
"I hope you're right..." Madeline sighed.
"I'm always right." Miranda chuckled. "Now come on, let's go pack some snacks for the trip."
Taking Madeline's hand, Miranda led her daughters to the kitchen.
The next day, several royal carriages carried the dads and daughter to their destination.
"Ooh, there it is!" Amber pointed.
"The Enchanted Animal Park." Roland added, as they flew over a valley with rivers and multi-colored trees.
"Whoa..." Sofia gasped.
They landed just outside the gates, Miss Elodie there to greet them.
"Welcome, Kings and Princesses." Miss Elodie declared. "The Enchanted Animal kingdom awaits!"
Miss Elodie opened the gates, and they entered.
"Daddy, where are the Enchanted Animals?" Hildegard asked her father.
"I'm sure we'll see one soon enough." King Henrik declared.
"But I want to see one now!" Hildegard grabbed his hand.
"Yes, of course." Henrik cringed. "Anything for you, honey-darling." He walked over to Miss Elodie. "Miss Elodie, Hildegard would like to see an Enchanted Animal right away!"
"Well, you're in luck King Henrik, because here's one now!" Miss Elodie pointed to a rock.
"Where?" Henrik asked.
"Right there." Miss Elodie smiled.
Hildegard inspected it.
"That's a rock." She said flatly.
"Look a little closer, everybody." Miss Elodie urged.
The girls gathered around, watching as the rock became a bird.
"It's a Disguise-O-Fly!" Madeline smiled.
"Ding-ding-ding! Correct, my budding Enchant zoologist!" Miss Elodie declared. "Ohh, this little guy can make itself look like anything."
The Disguise-O-Fly flew off.
"I want one!" Hildegard told her father.
"Oh, yes, darling! Henrik nodded. "I'll catch it!"
Henrik made a few grabs for the Disguise-O-Fly, but Miss Elodie stopped him.
"Ah-ah-ah." She frowned. "I'm sorry, King Henrik. We're just visitors in this park. We can't disturb the animals that live here, no matter how magnificent they are. We'll see many more enchanted creatures on our canoe ride. To the river! Onwards!"
The group made their way to the river, where several canoes were waiting.
"And just like that, there we are!" Miss Elodie smiled. "Everyone, pick a canoe!"
The group split up into separate canoes. Roland and his daughters all shared one.
"Anchors away!" Roland used the oar to push off from the jetty.
"Okay girls, last time daddy and I were on this trip, we worked out a great system for paddling." Amber declared.
"Wait. Since when do you paddle canoes, Amber?" Sofia asked.
"Oh, since never." Amber huffed. "But this is the one day of the year I force myself- I mean, I'm happy to do outdoorsy things. Because of daddy. Now, when I say 'row', we all paddle."
"Got it!" Madeline held up her oar.
"Let's go!" Sofia smiled.
"Ready when you are." Roland declared.
"Row! Row!" Amber called, as the canoe moved forward. "Sofia, Madeline, you're making us go too far right!"
"Oh, okay." Madeline cringed.
"Sorry!" Sofia said, as they switched their oar's positions.
"Now we're going too far to the other way!" Amber groaned. "Oh... switch!"
They all switched oar position, but suffered the same problem.
"Not everyone!" Amber yelled. "No, no! Just Sofia and Madeline were supposed to row on the other side!"
They drifted towards the riverbank.
"Brace yourselves!" Roland yelled.
"Ah!" Amber yelped, as they ran aground.
"I'm sorry!" Madeline cringed.
"Me too." Sofia declared. "Don't worry, we can get out of this!"
The two of them tried to pull the canoe out of its position.
"Um, girls, maybe you should just let daddy and me steer?" Amber suggested.
"It is easier with just two people." Roland admitted. "That way, you don't have to keep switching sides to go straight."
"Back! Turn!" Amber called, as they moved away from the bank.
"Nicely done, Amber." Roland smiled.
"Yeah, you two make a... really good team." Madeline sighed.
"We'll get you two paddling again when we catch up to everyone." Roland assured her.
"Now, row, row, row!" Amber declared.
Madeline bowed her head sadly. Sofia noticed, but couldn't say anything with Amber and Roland there.
"Forward, back. Forward, back." Lakshmi and her father, Raja Vijay chorused.
"Daddy, row faster." Hildegard urged, not rowing herself.
"Yes, honey-darling!" Henrik complied.
"Let's do a spin, dad!" Kari told her father, King Oberlyn.
"You got it, Kari!" Oberlyn smiled, as they paddled in a way that made their canoe rotate.
"Now, row, row, row!" Amber continued.
"Don't worry, girls." Roland told Sofia and Madeline. "You just need a little more practice."
A noise like an elephant filled the air.
"Oh, up ahead, I see a true zoological treat!" Miss Elodie grinned.
A group of birds were sitting in the spot by a waterfall. They looked like pelicans, but their upper beaks were more like trunks.
"Who can tell me who those gorgeous creatures are?" Miss Elodie asked.
"They're Pelicants!" Kari answered. "Half-pelican, and half-elephant."
"That's right!" Miss Elodie smiled, before getting sprayed by one Pelicant. "Ohhh!"
The Pelicants sprayed the others as they passed.
"Ah!" Hildegard held up her parasol. "Daddy, make it stop!"
"Ah, I love it." Miss Elodie wiped her face. "The sweet, soaking wet cry of the Pelicant!"
The Pelicants all flew away.
"Look over there, Miss Elodie!" Lakshmi point to some half-zebra, half-fish creatures.
"Water Zebras!" Miss Elodie beamed. "My favorite striped water animal! ...Well, them and Diving Tigers. Except Water Zebras won't eat you!"
"Closer, daddy." Hildegard told Henrik. "I want to pet one."
"And I want to help you pet one, Hildegard." Henrik moved the canoe closer.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Miss Elodie blocked their path. "Remember, King Henrik, we are not here to touch the animals, just admire them from a safe distance. As in, safe for the animals."
"Of course, Miss Elodie." Henrik moved away.
"But daddy-!" Hildegard hissed.
"Oh, look!" Miss Elodie pointed. "It's time to row ashore and have some more Dads and Daughters Day fun!"
"Are you Madeline and I can't help?" Sofia asked Amber as they headed to shore.
"Oh, it's okay, Sofia." Amber told her. "We're almost there."
Madeline bowed her head again, making Sofia worry more.
As they returned to shore, Amber spotted something.
"Ooh, there it is, daddy!" She pointed to a large tree.
"What is this?" Madeline asked, as they walked over to it.
"Oh, that's the Imprint Tree." Roland declared, pointing out the hand-shaped markings on the trunk. "If you put your hand on it, it leaves a magical imprint that lasts forever."
"Ooh, see!" Amber pointed to some lower imprints. "Those are daddy and my imprints from we first came here! Ooh, and there's Kari and her dad's, and Lakshmi and her dad's!"
"Can we get our hands too?" Sofia asked.
"Of course." Roland nodded. "Just place your hands on the tree and keep them still. It takes a little while for the magic to work."
Sofia and Madeline both placed their hands on the trunk.
"Gather round, everyone!" Miss Elodie called. "Gather round!"
"Ohhh." Roland sighed. "I guess we'll have to come back and do it later, girls."
"Okay..." Madeline smiled weakly.
As they made to join the others, Sofia moved over to Madeline.
"Are you okay, Maddie?" She asked.
"I'm fine, Sof." Madeline insisted. "Just fine..."
"Our first activity is the Rumbling Bumbleweed Race." Miss Elodie announced.
"Ohh, this is a fun game!" Kari told Sofia and Madeline, as Bumbleweed rolled by.
"What's that?" Sofia asked.
"That is a Bumbleweeds." Miss Elodie explained. "The Racquet-Tail Raccoons like to bat them back and forth."
A group of raccoons with bat-shaped tails, batted the Bumbleweeds between them.
"We hold hands with our dads, and jump over the Bumbleweeds as we race." Lakshmi told Sofia and Madeline.
"This looks tough." Madeline noted.
"It's easier than it looks." Kari assured her.
"Not the first time." Hildegard declared. "Good luck though, girls."
"Since dad only has two hands, I think I'll let you play, Maddie." Sofia declared. "I'll just watch."
"You sure?" Madeline asked.
"Yeah." Sofia nodded. "Have fun!"
"Alright, dads and daughters, line up and hold hands!" Miss Elodie instructed. "The first dad and daughter to reach that tree without touching the Bumbleweeds wins! And remember, you must hold hands the entire time."
"Daddy and I are really good at this." Amber told Madeline. "We won last year. But no pressure."
"Right. No pressure..." Madeline frowned.
"Is everybody ready?" Miss Elodie asked. "On your marks, get set, go!"
The dads and daughters ran through the course.
"You can do it, Maddie!" Sofia cheered.
"Ready?" Roland asked, as they neared a Bumbleweeds. "And... jump!"
Roland and Amber jumped ahead of Madeline, her weigh pulling them back down.
"Sorry, dad!" Madeline apologized.
"I'm okay." Roland assured her.
"Keep running!" Amber urged. "We have to catch up!"
They hurried behind the others.
"Here comes another Bumbleweeds!" Madeline noted.
"We all have to jump at the same time, Madeline!" Amber told her.
"And... jump!" Roland urged.
Once again, they jumped out of synch, and collapsed.
Lakshmi and Vijay reached the tree first.
"We won, we won!" Lakshmi cheered.
"Yes we did, Lakshmi!" Vijay chuckled.
"Ohh!" Amber groaned, as Roland helped his daughters up.
"Sorry." Madeline apologized. "I tried to jump at the same time as you guys."
"Don't worry about it, Madeline." Roland told her. "It's just a silly game."
"Dad's right." Sofia joined them. "At least you tried."
"Thanks, Sof." Madeline sighed. "But I didn't want to try. I wanted to win, with dad and Amber..."
The group kept moving.
"Follow me, everyone!" Miss Elodie urged. "We're moving on to our next activity."
Amber noticed Madeline's downcast look.
"Madeline, is there something wrong?" She asked.
"Yeah, Maddie." Sofia urged. "Is there?"
"I feel like Sofia and I keep getting in the way." Madeline told Amber. "You and dad are better at doing everything together."
"Of course we are." Amber agreed. "Daddy and I have been on this trip three times, so we've had a lot of practice rowing and racing together."
"I guess..." Madeline sighed.
"You just haven't had much time to do all this stuff with him." Amber pointed out. "Oh, why don't I sit out the next activity so you two and daddy can spend some time just with each other?"
"Wow." Sofia smiled. "That's really nice of you, Amber."
"Yeah, thanks." Madeline grinned.
"Oh, it's nothing, girls." Amber took her sisters' hands. "Come on, let's go."
The group stopped by a circle of large flat stones.
"Alright everyone, take a seat in the circle." Miss Elodie instructed. "We have one more activity before snacktime: Our father-daugter singalong!"
"Ooh, my favorite!" Kari smiled.
"I hope you've been practicing, daddy." Hildegard told Henrik.
"Of course I have, sweetums." Henrik nodded.
"I love the sing-along!" Lakshmi beamed.
"Are you sure it's okay for just us and dad to do this?" Sofia asked Amber.
"Mm-hmm." Amber nodded.
"So girls, ready to sing our hearts out?" Roland asked.
"Actually, daddy- ahem." Amber stroked her throat. "My voice is a little hoarse. Why don't I rest, and you, Madeline and Sofia sing together, just the three of you?"
"Oh, alright then." Roland smiled.
"Alright everyone, it's time to si-i-i-i-ing!" Miss Elodie chanted.
"Can we sing the Dads and Daughters song first?" Kari asked.
"Good choice." Hildegard agreed.
"I love that one!" Lakshmi beamed.
"Absolutely!" Miss Elodie nodded. "You will each take turns around the circle."
"But... we don't know this song!" Madeline protested.
"Just listen to everyone else." Roland told her. "You'll pick it up by the time it gets to us, no problem."
"Princess Kari, why don't you go first?" Miss Elodie suggested.
Kari: When I was three, the dark scared me
And then at night I'd cry
Oberlyn: So I took Kari out for midnight tea
Now she loves the starry sky
"Wow, they're really good!" Sofia noted.
The Kings: Iggly, wiggly, woggly, woogly!
I love my daughter
The Princesses: Woogly, woggly, woogly, whoa!
I love my dad
All: Together we go zippy, zappy, ooter, utter, otter, booly, bolly, gooly, golly, gad!
Miss Elodie pointed to Hildegard.
Hildegard: When I was four, I went to a store
I said I like the dolls
King Henrik: I bought dolls galore
Then bought more and more
Now they line our castle walls
"They're even better than Kari!" Madeline cringed.
"Don't worry Madeline, we'll be fine." Roland told her.
The Kings: Iggly, wiggly, woggly, woogly!
I love my daughter
The Princesses: Woogly, woggly, woogly, whoa!
I love my dad
All: Together we go zippy, zappy, ooter, utter, otter, booly bolly, gooly, golly, gad!
"Sofia, Madeline?" Miss Elodie urged.
Sofia/Madeline: When we were five, our dad and us...
Both girls stopped, realizing they couldn't describe such an instance.
"Uhh..." Sofia frowned. "Uhh..."
"Sorry, dad." Madeline apologized. "Sorry, everyone!"
Madeline ran off.
"Madeline, wait!" Roland took chase.
"Come back!" Sofia followed.
"Oh, no..." Amber sighed.
"Uhh, perhaps we should keep going?" Miss Elodie said awkwardly.
Just as they were about to continue, Hildegard spotted a nest with an egg in it.
"Wait!" She pulled her father away.
"What?" Miss Elodie asked.
"Look at that big, beautiful egg, daddy!" Hildegard pointed. "I want it!"
"Of course you do." Henrik smiled. "And I'll fetch it for you straight away."
"No, no, no!" Miss Elodie rushed over. "King Henrik, do not take another step! That egg belongs to a Pelicant, and you do not want to get a Pelicant angry!"
"And you do not want to make my Hildy angry." Henrik retorted.
Henrik walked over to the nest and grabbed the egg.
"See?" He held up the egg. "Everything's fine!"
A flock of Pelicants suddenly surrounded Henrik, trumpeting angrily.
"Uh-oh." Henrik gulped.
Meanwhile, Roland and Sofia caught up to Madeline.
"Madeline, what's wrong?" Roland asked. "Why'd you run off like that?"
"Maddie?" Sofia urged.
"We... we shouldn't have come on this trip." Madeline sighed.
"What do you mean?" Roland frowned.
"All the other dads and daughters know each other so well." Madeline pointed out. "And we haven't anything right together all day."
"She has a point." Sofia admitted.
"That's only because you two haven't done any of it with me before." Roland declared.
"No." Madeline sighed. "It's because we're just your step-daughters. We'll never be your real daughters."
"Maddie..." Sofia whispered.
"Madeline, that's just not true." Roland told her.
Suddenly, they heard the angry Pelicants.
"Hildy, everyone, run!" Henrik yelled.
"Pelicants!" Miss Elodie added, as the group ran past, chased by the Pelicants.
"Oh, no!" Roland gasped.
"Faster, everyone!" Vijay urged. "We can take refuge in that tree!"
"King Henrik, give back the Pelicant egg, now!" Miss Elodie yelled.
"Alright, alright!" Henrik made to give back the egg, but tripped on a root, dropping it. "The egg! It's falling! It's falling, oh no!"
The egg rolled down a nearby gully. A Pelicant chased after Henrik.
"Make room for me!" He yelled, getting into the tree.
"Henrik, what did you do with the egg?" Vijay asked.
"I tried to give it back, but it fell into a gully!" Henrik declared.
"Oh no!" The Princesses gasped.
"The egg is in the gully!" Henrik told the angry Pelicants, who just continuing trumpeting.
"They can't understand you!" Kari pointed out.
"And now we're trapped." Amber glared at Hildegard. "And all because you had to have that egg, Hildegard."
"I'm sorry!" Hildegard apologized. "I didn't know all this would happen."
"How could you know, sweetheart?" Henrik comforted her.
"Because I told you it would happen." Miss Elodie glared at them.
"Sorry, Miss Elodie." Henrik cringed.
Outside, Sofia, Madeline and Roland watched the Pelicants circling the tree.
"The Pelicants don't know that the egg rolled into the gully." Sofia noted.
"Then it's up to us to get it back." Madeline declared. "Come on, Sofia."
"Girls, wait!" Roland stopped them. "If the Pelicants see us, they'll come after us too. We should stay here until we think of a plan."
They thought for a moment.
"Oh, the sun!" Roland pulled out his pocket watch.
"Your pocket watch?" Sofia frowned.
"How will that help?" Madeline asked.
"We can bounce sunlight off it, and distract them." Roland smiled, using the watch to reflect the sunlight, and luring away the Pelicants with the beam of light. "There, now you two just stay here." He gave Madeline the pocket watched. "Madeline, keep moving the watch back and forth while I get the egg."
Roland sneaked over to the gully, while Madeline moved a little closer.
"Good going, Maddie." Sofia smiled.
"Thanks!" Madeline grinned.
As they peered down to watch, one Pelicant spotted them. It flew over and trumpeted at them.
"Ah!" Madeline dropped the watch in shock, and it rolled down the gully.
"We're trying to get the egg!" Sofia told the Pelicant.
"Girls!" Roland his head up.
Suddenly, the edge of the gulley crumbled. Sofia and Madeline lost their footing, and fell down the gulley.
"Gotcha!" Roland caught them.
The Pelicant trumpeted, causing Roland to fall back, and they all tumbled down the gulley.
"Whoa!" The girls yelped.
They slid right to the bottom.
"Are you alright?" Roland asked Sofia and Madeline.
"I think so." Sofia nodded.
"I'm okay, dad." Madeline declared.
"Oh, your watch!" Sofia pointed.
Madeline picked up the fallen watch, which had opened on impact. She noted James and Amber's picture, then realized there was a portrait of herself and Sofia on the other side.
"There's a picture of me and Sofia in here?" She realized.
"Of course." Roland smiled. "Why wouldn't there be?"
"Yeah, why?" Sofia asked.
"Because Sofia and I aren't your real daughters, like Amber." Madeline declared.
"Madeline, it doesn't matter whether I was your dad when you were born." Roland smiled. "I'm your dad now, and that makes me your real father. and you two my real daughters. Now, and forever. I love you both, girls, now and forever."
"Oh, dad." Madeline hugged him. "I love you too."
"We both do." Sofia joined them.
As the hug ended, they saw the Pelicant, still angrily trumpeting at them. Madeline then noticed the egg nearby.
"Look, the egg!" Sofia pointed.
"We have to get it back to the Pelicants." Madeline urged.
"Right, girls." Roland picked up the egg.
Roland tried to get up the incline, but it wasn't easy.
"I'm not sure if I can climb and carry the egg at the same time." He groaned as eh slid back down. "We'll have to find another way to get it out."
"I know!" Sofia smiled. "We can play catch!"
"Catch?" Roland frowned.
"Huh?" Madeline asked.
"Like when we practiced Dazzleball!" Sofia explained.
"Oh, right." Roland smiled.
"I guess that could work." Madeline admitted.
Sofia and Madeline crawled up the incline.
"Throw me the egg." Sofia urged.
"Here it comes!" Roland tossed her the egg.
Sofia caught the egg, and turned to Madeline.
"Now Madeline, climb above me, and I'll throw the egg to you." She instructed.
"You got it." Madeline nodded.
Once Madeline was above her, Sofia passed her the egg.
"Your turn now, dad." Madeline called.
"Great." Roland nodded, as he followed suit.
"Now, catch!" Madeline threw the egg.
"Got it!" Roland caught the egg.
Sofia climbed past Roland.
"Now, do that to me again!" She urged.
"That's it!" Roland threw the egg.
"Here you go!" Sofia passed it to Madeline.
"To you, dad!" Madeline passed it.
"Nice job!" Roland grinned.
They slowly made their way upwards.
"Good catch, dad!" Madeline cheered.
"Almost there!" Roland urged.
"Here!" Sofia called. Roland passed her the egg. "I've got it!"
"To me!" Madeline urged, at the top.
"You got it!" Sofia tossed the egg.
"I've got your egg!" Madeline handed the egg to the Pelicants. "Sorry about that."
"Just tell your friends to keep their paws to themselves, alright?" The lead Pelicant declared. "Or, uh, we'll take one of them home as a souvenir." He chuckled.
"Okay, Mr. Pelicant." Sofia smiled.
As the Pelicants left, Roland climbed out.
"Well done, girls!" Roland smiled.
"You can come out now." Madeline told the others. "It's safe!"
"You saved us!" Miss Elodie cheered, as the others emerged from their hiding place. "That was incredible, Girls!"
"Thank you so much." Hildegard beamed. "You, and your dad."
"We make a good team, don't you think?" Roland grinned.
"We sure do." Madeline nodded.
"Well, dads and daughters, it's time to make like Hopping Hippos and hop back home!" Miss Elodie smiled.
As the group made their way back, they saw the egg back in its nest, surrounded by Pelicants. The egg started to crack."
"The egg's hatching!" Sofia smiled.
"Shh!" Miss Elodie whispered. "Everyone be still. We have front row seats to one of nature's greatest moments!"
As they watched, the baby Pelicant slowly emerged from the egg, finally tumbling out.
"Aww!" The Princesses cooed.
The Pelicant's mother wrapped it's trunk around it in a hug. Roland hugged his own daughters.
Not long later, they were back at the Imprint Tree, Sofia and Madeline's hands upon it.
"Almost done..." Roland declared, as a purple glow surrounded their hands. "And... there! You can take your hands away now!"
Sofia and Madeline removed their hands, the imprints showing.
"Oh!" Madeline beamed.
"Wow." Sofia gasped.
"Right where they should be." Roland smiled. "Your hands with ours."
"Four's even better than two." Amber added, as they headed to the river.
"It sure is." Roland chuckled.
Once back in their canoe, the four of them were rowing in synch.
"Row, row row!" They chorused.
"I think I'm getting it!" Madeline smiled.
"Me too!" Sofia nodded.
"You're doing great, girls!" Roland grinned.
"Yes, you are." Amber lowered her oar, and laid against a pillow. "Which means I can take a little break."
"Oh, Amber..." Madeline chuckled.
"Behold, everyone!" Miss Elodie declared, as golden butterflies passed by, leaving a trail of bubbles as they flew. "Bubbling Butterflies!"
"I want one, I want one!" Hildegard declared. "Daddy?"
"Hildebard, I'm going to tell you something I should have said a long time ago: No." Henrik said firmly.
"Fine." Hildegard stood up. "Then I'll get one myself!"
As a Bubbling Butterflies passed by, she tried to grab one, but only caught bubbles.
"Hildegard!" Miss Elodie frowned.
Hildegard climbed atop the canoe, and reached for another, but fell into the water.
"Ewww!" She cringed. "Daddy!"
"I think it's time you learned you can't get everything you want, Hildegard." Henrik helped his daughter back into the canoe.
"Quite right, your majesty." Miss Elodie smirked, as she passed by.
"Ooh, you know what would be really fun right now?" Amber asked.
"A sing-along?" Sofia, Madeline and Roland said together. "I was going to say the same thing!"
They all laughed together.
Sofia/Madeline: Our dad and us once had to try to calm an angry herd
Roland: So by aiming high and seeing eye to eye
We saved a baby... bird?
The Pelicant mother and its baby joined them, perching on Roland's shoulder.
"It's a Pelicant, daddy!" Amber chuckled.
Roland: Iggly, wiggly, wiggly, woogly
I love my daughters
Sofia/Madeline/Amber: Woogly, wiggly, woogly, whoa!
We love our dad
All: Together we go zippy zappy ooter utter otter
Roland: Booly, bolly, goly, golly!
Amber: Booly, bolly, goly, golly!
Sofia: Booly, bolly, goly, golly!
All: Gad!