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breath.
    Tansy bent over him. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.
    To her surprise, he reached up and hugged her. “You’re a wonder with that flute,” he said. “Who would’ve thought we’d make such a good team?”
    Tansy smiled and hugged him back.
    By now buckets of water were being passed hand over hand down the long line that stretched from the well to the shack. Lysandra and Matthew were nearest to the fire, working together to heave water at the flames.
    Slowly the ogress stood, her fearsome figure towering over everyone. Some of the men gasped, and Tansy remembered how frightened she’d felt the first time she saw her. Butwhen the ogress hugged her daughter tight—tears streaming down her face—the men relaxed. Perhaps they could see she was only a mother, and when it came right down to it, not so very different from their own.
    Finally, after much work, the raging fire was quenched. Roaring sadly, the ogress and her daughter stared at the charred remains of their home. King Albert motioned for Tansy to play her flute so the ogress could hear his thoughts. As Tansy played, her father faced the ogress, but his thoughts drifted out to everyone. I am so sorry . We were afraid of you, and we let our fear get the best of us.
    Still holding her daughter, the ogress rocked back and forth, moaning. Not all ogres are monsters, she thought. We only want to live in peace .
    King Albert hung his head. That’s what we want too . If you’ll let us, we’ll help rebuild your home. We’ll be your friends.
    At this, the ogress’s thick lips stretched upward into what could only be a smile.
    Edward, James, and some of the other men volunteered to stay behind to rebuild the ogress’s shack. Meanwhile, King Albert, the rest of the men, and the princesses prepared for home.
    â€œCan Jonah and I ride on your flying carpet?” Matthew asked Fatima shyly.
    â€œSure,” Fatima replied. “But what about your horses?”
    â€œI don’t think they’d fit,” Jonah joked. “But they can follow Father back to the castle.”
    When everyone was seated, the carpet lifted high into the air. As they glided away from the mountain, Jonah looked back and gave a whoop. “Now this is the way to travel! I’m going to have to paint a picture of howMount Majesta looks from the sky!”
    Tansy smiled. Having brothers wasn’t so bad, she decided. Of course, they didn’t always behave the way you wanted them to. But sometimes, like Edward, they could pleasantly surprise you.

11
Good News
    P OUNDING, THUMPING, AND SHOUTING WOKE Tansy the next morning. “Is that you, Jonah?” she called out before realizing the noises weren’t coming from outside her door after all. They were coming from somewhere else in the castle.
    The other princesses had been awakened by the noise as well. They all climbed out of bed, shivering in the cold morning air, andpulled warm robes over their nightgowns. They donned slippers, then trooped downstairs to find out what was happening.
    An older man carrying a ladder strode past them at the bottom of the stairs, followed by a younger man pushing a cartful of rocks. “Morning, princesses!” the younger man called out cheerfully.
    â€œMorning,” the princesses replied.
    â€œHey, he was one of the statues,” Fatima declared after the men had disappeared from view.
    Of course! Tansy had thought he looked familiar.
    Queen Charlotte was sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping a cup of tea and reading, when the girls entered the Main Hall. She looked up from her book. “Good morning,” she said, sounding even more cheerful than ever. “I bet you’re hungry for breakfast.”
    As her friends warmed their hands in front of the fire, Tansy glanced into the Dining Room. The table was covered with an amazing array of fruits, breads, eggs, and meats.
    Elena appeared beside