Chapter 3: Her Imperial Majesty

"Thanks for your help, Josef," said Lori. "Yeah, thanks a lot," said Lincoln. "You're very welcome," said Josef. "I hope you will enjoy yourselves at the party," said Josef. "We will," said Luan. "Bye," said Lincoln and his 10 sisters.

As the coachmen climbed back into his carriage, Luna turned to her brother and sisters. "This is so cool, dudes!" she said. Not really, thought Lincoln. He didn't know how he was supposed to act with Her Imperial Majesty whatever-the-rest-of-her-name-was! His hands felt clammy.

"What do we do when we meet her? What do we say?" asked Lincoln. "We just watch what other people do and we copy them," said Lola. "Come on," said Lori.

Lincoln and his 10 sisters walked over to the sweeping stairway. They started up the steps, following the other party guests. The women all wore glittering jewels and gowns with giant hoopskirts. The men wore wigs with white curls flowing down over the collars of their long coats. All the clothes were made of silk and satin and velvet in rich collars and patterns.

"Oh, brother," said Lincoln. "What?" asked Lucy. "There's that kid who yelled at me," said Lincoln.

The small boy from the blue coach was standing at the top of the stairs. He wore a lilac-colored coat with gold braid. A tiny sword hung from his side.

"A sword?" said Lincoln. "That's ridiculous," said Lori. "He can't be more than four or five years old," said Lynn.

The boy turned and caught sight of Lincoln and his sisters. A big smile crossed his round face. He waved at them. "Awwww," said the sisters. "He is so cute," said Lola. "Not really," said Lincoln. A man grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him into the palace.

"And I thought I looked funny," said Lincoln. "Hey, you're not the only one who is funny," said Luan. "Oh, yeah right," said Lincoln. "How's my wig now?" asked Lincoln. Luan giggled. "It's crooked again," said Luan. "And your ears are poking out. Hold on," said Luan. Luan grabbed both sides of Lincoln's wig and gave it a good yank.

"Move along, children. You're holding up the line!" a woman behind them said.

Lincoln and his 10 sisters hurried up the stairs. At the top, Lincoln pulled their invitation out of his pocket again. He led his sisters into the palace and showed the invitation to a guard in a red uniform.

"Follow the line through the lantern room and into the Great Rosa Room," the guard said.

Lincoln saw a line of party guests walking slowly through a candlelit room. He and his 10 sisters quickly joined the line. The room was filled with sounds of whispering and the rustling of silk.

A young girl in a white dress with red roses was standing near Lincoln and his 10 sisters. When the line moved, Lincoln waited for the girl to go ahead.

The girl smiled. "I'm not in line," she said in a soft voice. "I'm waiting for my brother," she said. Lincoln nodded, and he and his sisters stepped forward. Lincoln craned his neck to get a better view of the Great Rosa Room. He couldn't see Her Imperial Majesty yet, but he could see part of the fancy room with its red velvet chairs and gold-trimmed, glossy white walls.

Another guest entered the Great Rosa Room, and Lincoln and his 10 sisters took a step closer to the door. Now Lincoln could see Her Imperial Majesty. She was a tall, plump woman dressed in a blue silk gown with ruffles. To Lincoln's surprise, the little kid with the sword was sitting on her lap! A long row of older children stood behind her.

Lincoln turned to his sisters. "Who do you think those kids are?" asked Lincoln. "They must be the princes and princesses of Her Imperial Majesty," said Lola. "Indeed, they are," said the girl who had spoken to Lincoln earlier. "The imperial children," she said. "Thanks," said Lana. "The imperial children look pretty unfriendly," Lisa whispered to Lola. The little boy with the sword was the only one smiling. "Well, it must be really hard to just stand there wearing stiff clothes and wigs while people are being received," Lola whispered back.

"Prepare yourselves, you are next," a servant at the door said to Lincoln and his 10 sisters. Oh, no! thought Lincoln. He'd been too busy looking at the imperial children to watch the guests in front of him. "What do we do when we meet Her Imperial Majesty?" he asked his sister frantically. "I don't know, I forgot to watch!" said Lynn.

Lynn turned to the girl in the white dress. "Um-excuse me, can you tell us what to do when we meet Her Imperial Majesty?" asked Lynn. The girl leaned close to Lynn and whispered, "Enter the room and announce your names. Then walk to the middle of the room. You and your sisters must curtsy; he must bow. Next go directly up to Her Imperial Majesty and do the same," she said. "Got it," said Lynn. "Oh, and remember-" the girl said to Lincoln, "do not rise from the second bow until Her Imperial Majesty tells you to. Do not even look up. Rise only when she says 'rise.' Then step backward out of the room." "Backward," said Lincoln. "Yes, you must never turn your back on Her Imperial Majesty," said the girl. "It would be considered very bad manners," she said. "Thanks!" said Lincoln. He was grateful to the girl for giving them such important information.

The servant at the door turned and nodded to Lincoln and his 10 sisters. The eleven of them stepped into the Great Rosa Room.

"Lori of Royal Woods," said Lori. "Leni of Royal Woods," said Leni. "Luna of Royal Woods," said Luna. "Luan of Royal Woods," said Luan. "Lynn of Royal Woods," said Lynn. "Lincoln of Royal Woods," said Lincoln. "Lucy of Royal Woods," said Lucy. "Lola of Royal Woods," said Lola. "Lana of Royal Woods," said Lana. "Lisa of Royal Woods," said Lisa. Lily didn't say anything but, she gave a cute smile.

Lincoln and his 10 sisters walked slowly to the center of the room; Her Imperial Majesty and the imperial children watched them closely. The little boy with the sword waved at them. The 10 sisters curtsied and Lincoln gave a low bow. Then Lincoln and his sisters walked closer to Her Imperial Majesty. She had a double chin, a high forehead, and lots of teeny blond curls. Lincoln smiled at her, but her pale face stayed very serious.

The 10 sisters curtsied again, and Lincoln gave the second bow. As he bowed, he remembered that it was bad manners to rise or look up before Her Imperial Majesty told him to. Lincoln stared at the shiny buckles on his shoes, waiting to hear Her Imperial Majesty say "rise."

Maybe I'm not bowing low enough, Lincoln thought. He bent over a few inches more. To his horror, the silver flute slipped out of his coat pocket! It clattered to the floor. As Lincoln grabbed it, his hat fell off. The imperial children snickered.

Clutching the flute, Lincoln reached for his hat with his other hand. But when he grabbed his hat, his wig fell off! Jack reached for his wig, but powder got in his nose, and he sneezed. As he sneezed, he slipped on the polished floor and fell to his knees. Gripping his wig, his hat, and his flute, Lincoln scrambled back up to his bowing position. But he still hadn't heard Her Imperial Majesty tell him to rise!

The imperial children laughed loudly. Lincoln even heard Her Imperial Majesty laughing! She probably can't speak because she's laughing so hard, thought Lincoln. He didn't know what to do. His face was burning hot. You've got to get out of here! he told himself.

Still bowing, Lincoln began backing up with little steps-until he bumped into a wall. As the imperial children howled with laughter, Lincoln turned his head and saw his 10 sisters peeking out from a doorway, giggling. He backed over to her.

Luna and Luan grabbed his coattails and pulled him out of the Great Rosa Room. "That's our Linky," laughed his sisters.

The imperial children clapped and cheered. Lincoln heard one of the girls say between gulps of laughter, "Who was that fool?" "That was Lincoln of Royal Woods!" answered the small boy in his high voice. And they all laughed loudly again.