In a mountainous region of LaConte, there was a little kingdom. In the center of that kingdom, there was a little castle.

Around the castle was a lush green garden, and in a quiet corner of the garden stood a tree.

And high up in the tree, sleeping peacefully, was a little girl dressed in green. This girl was called Dreadlilocks, in reference to her long, chestnut-colored, knotted hair.

She did not live in the nearby castle, or even in the kingdom. In fact, when she woke up, she realized she had no idea where she was.

“What is this place?” thought Dreadlilocks. She climbed out of the tree and hopped to the ground.

As she wandered through the garden, she tried to remember what she had been doing before she awakened in this strange place.

“Mama Bear made porridge…but it was too hot, so we all went for a walk…” she thought. “And then…we wandered into a fog…or something…”

Before she could remember what exactly had happened, she ran into a group of knights in golden armor.

“Halt!” said the first knight. “Who goes there?!”

“Um, me?” Dreadlilocks replied.

“How did you get in here??” asked the second knight. “The gates have been locked ever since the Lord and Lady disappeared.”

“I don’t know how I got here,” said Dreadli. “To be honest, I’m kind of lost…”

“Liar! She must be a thief!” accused the third knight. “We must keep her from the princess at all costs!”

At that, Dreadlilocks felt it might be best to run away. And so she did, with three knights (and counting) in hot pursuit.

~~

Dreadlilocks ran into the castle. Although she knew she’d probably be in more trouble for going inside, she thought there might be more places to hide within the walls. Perhaps she could find an oversized vase or an empty closet, and stay out of sight until the knights gave up.

Eventually she came to a little door, the kind that seemed to have nothing of importance behind it. She pulled it open and shut it quietly behind her.

By the light of a wall sconce, she saw stone steps ascending into the darkness. Curious and determined not to be found, she decided it couldn’t hurt to go up. So up she went.

At the top of the stairs was a large set of wooden doors, the kind that seemed to have something of great importance behind them. Something she was probably not allowed to see… But by now she was a little more curious than she was determined not to be found, so she opened them anyway.

Inside was the most luxurious room she had ever seen. Soft pillows and mattresses covered the floor; pastel-colored curtains were draped over the windows, bathing the scene in pastel-colored light. Plush toys were propped up against walls and furniture wherever possible.

Somewhere in the room, Dreadlilocks heard a voice. “H-hey, who’s there?” it asked.

“Um…no one dangerous…” Dreadli answered.

“The only people who come in here besides me are the Captain, the maids, and my mother and father. And you d-don’t sound like any of those…”

A head of messy red hair peeked out from behind a curtain. Floppy sleeves brushed it up and out until a golden crown and a pair of opal-colored eyes could be seen.

“…S-so like I said, who are you?” asked the princess.