Free Rescue Princesses #6: The Magic Rings by Paula Harrison

Princess Lottie spun around the bedroom as fast as she could, her red dress swirling. She turned around and around, until she got so dizzy that she collapsed, laughing, on top of the velvet blanket.
    “Stop it, Lottie!” exclaimed Princess Emily. “You’re squishing all the things I was just about to pack.”
    Lottie yanked a pile of creased clothes out from underneath her. Then she bounced up to peer into the enormoussuitcase that lay next to her on the bed. It was full of dresses, tiaras, and a hairbrush with a diamond-studded handle.
    “You can’t fit anything else in there, anyway,” she said bluntly. “How much stuff do you need at your Royal School Thingy?”
    “The Royal Academy for Princesses,” Emily corrected her. “You have to have clothes for lessons, clothes for parties, clothes for ceremonies, and much more. I’ll need all of these. There’ll be so many special occasions to go to.”
    Lottie yawned. “Poor you! It sounds boring. I hope I don’t have to go when I’m older.”
    Emily frowned. “It’s important for every princess to learn how to fulfill her duties, you know.”
    Lottie chuckled. “You sound just like Mom.” She tried out a fancy accent. “A princess must perform splendid and magnificent duties, like spinning around as many times as she can before she falls over!” She leapt off the bed and started twirling again.
    “Lottie! Stop it!” groaned Emily. Then she sat down on her bed and sighed.
    Lottie stopped spinning and landed beside her sister, making the bed wobble.
    “I guess I do sound a little bit like Mom,” said Emily. “I still like having fun, though, and I’m going to be seeing all my friends at the academy.”
    “I’ll miss you!” Lottie gave her sister a quick hug. “Even though you like to whine!”
    “I’ll miss you, too.” Emily grinned. “Even though you squish my clothes!”
    Lottie looked at the mirror on the wall, where their reflections sat side by side.
    Everybody always said it was easyto tell that they were sisters, mainly because their hair was exactly the same red color, like a flame. But while Emily’s hair hung over her shoulders in loose waves, Lottie’s was clustered into tight curls. Their eyes were different, too. Lottie’s were a bright sparkling green while Emily’s were a gentler hazel.
    Lottie had always wished she was the older one. But now she was glad she wasn’t leaving for school. Emily said the academy would be exciting, but Lottie wasn’t so sure.
    “If you’ve left any tiaras behind, can I borrow them while you’re gone?”asked Lottie, itching to look in Emily’s closet.
    But Emily wasn’t listening. She gazed thoughtfully at her sister, twisting a lock of red hair around her finger.
    “Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Lottie. “I promise I’ll put the tiaras back. I know I broke that silver one. But that was a long time ago.”
    “There’s something I need to tell you,” said Emily slowly. “You know that time you heard me and my friends talking about being Rescue Princesses when we were staying in Northernland?”
    “Yes, it sounded like a really good game.” Lottie pouted. “And I think you should have let me join from the start.”
    “It wasn’t a game at all,” said Emily. “I was just worried that you were too little to know about it.”
    “I am NOT little!” Lottie burst out.
    “I guess not.” Emily smiled. “Now that you’ve had your birthday, you’re the same age as I was when I first became a Rescue Princess! Jaminta, Clarabel, and Lulu have all sent me their magic rings, so I can explain that part, too.”
    “What?” Lottie nearly bounced off the bed. “What magic rings?”
    “Hold on! I need to tell you everything from the beginning,” said Emily. “Just listen! And try not to interrupt!”
    Lottie frowned, but then decided to be patient. After all, she wanted to know what Emily was going to say. “Tell me, then. What’s this Rescue Princesses thing all