Tiana grabbed a broken tree branch off the ground. She hefted it and got ready to start swinging. She was going to save Louis, no matter what.

But as it turned out, she didn’t need to.

“We missed you!” one of the alligators said. Tiana lowered her club, confused. The alligators weren’t attacking Louis—they were hugging him.

“And we miss that trumpet of yours,” another alligator said. “Since you left, the bayou is just so quiet!”

“Yeah,” the third one said. “Now the fireflies won’t invite us to their parties. They say there’s no point if you’re not there to play. It’s been so boring here!”

“Sorry we scared you yesterday,” the first alligator said sheepishly. “We just missed you so much!”

Louis finally made it to his feet. “Gosh, you guys,” he said. He was blushing a deep green, and smiling a big, happy, toothy smile. “I missed you, too!”

“Where’d you go?” the smallest alligator asked. Tiana guessed this was Maybelle. “Is there more music where you live now?”

Louis told his friends all about New Orleans. He told them about Tiana’s Palace, and Naveen, and playing the trumpet late into the night while people danced and danced.

“We want to come visit!” the alligators said.

Louis clapped his hands excitedly. He gave Tiana a pleading look.

“Please, Tiana, can they come with us?” he said.

“Actually,” Tiana said thoughtfully, “that’s not a bad idea.” She had a feeling that three extra alligators might just come in handy in the search for the pearl thief.

Walking through New Orleans with one alligator was hard. Tiana knew this from experience. Getting to Tiana’s Palace with four alligators was almost impossible. Tiana and the alligators waited at the edge of town until the sun had set. Then they crept back toward the restaurant.

“I’m hungry,” Maybelle said. “Does this Palace of yours have anything to eat?”

“Just you wait,” Tiana said. “You’re about to have the best meal of your life.” She loved cooking for alligators—they had such big appetites!

The group turned a corner, and there it was. Tiana’s Palace! Tiana breathed a big sigh of relief. Her restaurant hadn’t burned down after all.

“We’ll go in through the back,” Tiana said. “I’ll fetch y’all something to eat in the kitchen.”

But when they walked into the kitchen, Tiana’s heart sank.

A pot of jambalaya was boiling over on the stove. Smoke was pouring out of the oven. And the creamed spinach wasn’t creamed yet—in fact, it wasn’t even washed!

Naveen was running to and fro, trying to get dinner under control. His hair was a mess, and there was soot on his face. Flour covered his clothing. When he saw Tiana, his face lit up.

“My princess!” Naveen cried. He rushed over and swept Tiana up in a big hug. Now she was covered in flour, too. “You must save me! I have made a terrible disaster!”

Tiana looked around. “I can see that,” she said. Naveen hung his head. “Don’t worry,” Tiana said. “Honestly, I thought it would be worse.” She winked at him and then got to work.

It didn’t take too long to get the kitchen sorted out. The jambalaya was just fine, but the bread was no good. Tiana quickly whipped up some corn bread instead. She set the alligators to work cleaning and chopping the spinach while Naveen made the rice. Before long, dinner was ready!

When all the customers had eaten and gone home, Tiana sat down at the kitchen table with Naveen, Charlotte, and Louis. Louis’s friends had gone to bed already. Tiana had tucked them in under the water lilies in the garden fountain.

Tiana told Naveen and Charlotte all about Mama Odie’s mission. She reached into her pocket and brought out the pearl.

“Woo-ee!” Charlotte said. Her eyes were wide. Charlotte loved jewelry more than anyone else Tiana knew. “That’s a beauty.”

“Someone in New Orleans has the other one right now,” Tiana said. “But how on earth are we going to find it?”