“I can’t believe Queen Fire saved you!” Ivy said.
“I’m just glad we found you, Glimmer,” Clara said, patting the unicorn’s neck. The three friends and Glimmer walked over the castle’s drawbridge. On the walk back to the castle, Bella had told them about her run-in with Queen Fire in the woods. Both girls had been scared and worried about what happened—and Bella’s debt to the queen—but at the end of the talk, they had been grateful Bella’s aunt had chosen to stop the unicorn fight.
“Uh-oh,” Bella said.
Her parents, Frederick, and Ben stood in front of the stables. Ben’s head was down, and Queen Katherine’s arms were crossed.
“Bella, how long were you planning to keep it a secret that your unicorn had gone missing?” King Phillip asked. His voice was low and very serious.
“I’m sorry,” Bella said. “But please don’t send Ben away! This wasn’t his fault. I made him promise not to tell anyone.”
“Ben should have come to me,” Frederick said. “However, I am the stable manager. It is my responsibility to make sure that all the royal unicorns are safe. I should have asked Ben about Glimmer the moment I began to feel it was odd that I hadn’t seen her in a while.”
Bella’s stomach twisted and turned. Ben couldn’t leave because of her!
“How did you find out?” Bella asked, her voice quiet.