Free Unicorn Uproar by Carolyn Keene

Chapter One

Medieval Magic
    â€œGood people of River Heights!” Mayor Strong announced. His suit of armor creaked as he threw his arms up into the air. “I, Sir Mayor the Strong, welcome thee to the Dragon’s Breath Fair!”
    Eight-year-old Nancy Drew cheered with her best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne. It was the start of the Dragon’s Breath Fair, a medieval festival that came to the girls’ town every fall.
    â€œWhat is ‘medieval,’ anyway?” Bess asked.
    â€œIt was a time hundreds of years ago,” Nancy explained. “When there were kings, queens, jesters—and knights in shining armor.”
    â€œAnd dragons!” George said, her dark eyesflashing. “Don’t forget about dragons.”
    â€œOh, no!” Bess gasped. “What do we do if we run into a fire-breathing dragon here at the fair?”
    â€œRoast marshmallows!” George joked.
    The girls turned back to the mayor. He was telling the crowd the fun they would have.
    â€œThere will be jugglers, games, hearty food, and puppet shows,” Mayor Strong boomed. “And the most thrilling challenge of all—the joust!”
    â€œI know what a joust is,” George said to Nancy and Bess. “It’s when two knights on horseback try to knock weapons out of each other’s hands.”
    â€œOf course, I would love to be in the joust myself,” Mayor Strong told everyone. “But first I need a horse!”
    The visor on the mayor’s helmet fell in front of his face with a
clunk
.
    â€œHe needs a horse
and
a new helmet,” George whispered.
    The mayor raised his visor and shouted, “I hereby declare the Dragon’s Breath Fair open!”
    After a big cheer the crowd scattered in alldirections into the fairgrounds. Nancy didn’t know what was more colorful, the striped tents and banners hanging everywhere, or the red, yellow, and gold leaves on the trees.
    â€œDo you think they had detectives in those days?” Bess asked. “Detectives like us?”
    Nancy smiled at the thought. She, Bess, and George were good at solving mysteries. So good that they’d started their own detective club called the Clue Crew.
    â€œSure, they had detectives,” Nancy decided. “Somebody had to figure out who stole the queen of hearts’s tarts!”
    â€œAnd speaking of stuff that’s yummy for the tummy,” George said, nodding in the direction of the food stalls, “there’s my mom.”
    Nancy could see Mrs. Fayne stacking jumbo cookies on the ledge of a food stall. Mrs. Fayne ran her own catering company and was in charge of the food at the Dragon’s Breath Fair. She was also in charge of bringing Nancy, Bess, and George to the fair every day that weekend.
    â€œWhat should we do first?” Bess asked, rubbing her hands together. “Play a game or eat one of those cookies?”
    Nancy wanted to watch the archery contest—until she noticed a wooden sign stuck in the ground. It had a red arrow and the words THIS WAY TO WIZARDLY WOODS .
    â€œWhat’s Wizardly Woods?” Nancy wondered.
    â€œThere’s only one way to find out,” George said.
    The girls followed the path until they reached more colorful tents, their flaps wide open. Inside were men and women selling jewelry, candles, and scented oils. Outside a blue tent decorated with silver stars stood a rack holding dried flower garlands.
    Bess grabbed a garland and placed it over her long blond hair. “Does this make me look princessy?” she asked.
    â€œYou mean
prissy
!” George said, and smirked.
    â€œVery funny,
Georgia
,” Bess replied, and smirked back. “Sometimes I can’t believe we’re cousins!”
    George gritted her teeth. She hated her realname, Georgia, even more than she hated wearing dresses and skirts—a major difference between Bess and George.
    Bess was about to look for a mirror when a voice