Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Aaachoooo! Dribble sneezed loudly. "Quiet," Princess Pulverizer warned. "You don't want to scare the old unicorn if he's hiding behind those trees." "I can't help it. I'm allergic to willows," Dribble replied. "The old unicorn isn't here," Lucas said as he peered under the branches of a big willow

tree. "This is the third grove we've searched. I doubt we're ever going to find him, or anyone else from Fortune's blessing." "Maybe we're going about this all wrong," Dribble said. "We assumed Gordon spotted the old unicorn near Leononia. But knights travel everywhere. What if he saw him somewhere else? Like the meadow near Beeten Wheeten where Fortune came from." "The old unicorn might have been too weak to search for Fortune with the others. He could have stayed behind," Lucas agreed. "Exactly," Dribble continued. "If the old unicorn poked his head out of hiding for even a moment, and Gordon surprised him, they might have seen one another." "Poor old unicorn," Lucas said. "If you're right, he's been alone a long time. It's been days since the others went out looking for Fortune." "They may have returned to check on the old guy," Dribble suggested. "In fact, the

whole blessing could be there right now. We should go back to the meadow where Fortune came from and see." "Good idea," Lucas agreed. Princess Pulverizer shook her head. "It's not a good idea," she insisted. "Why not?" Dribble asked. "Because we don't know how to get back to Fortune's home," she replied. "It's just outside of Beeten Wheeten," Lucas reminded her. "All we have to do is head back that way." "Except we've taken a lot of roads since we left Beeten Wheeten," Princess Pulverizer argued. "I have no idea how to get back there. Do you?" "We're all turned around. We'd never find our way back there," Lucas said with a heavy sigh. "This is beginning to seem so pointless." "Pointless!" Princess Pulverizer exclaimed excitedly. "That's it!" Dribble and Lucas stared at her, confused.

"Fortune can lead us back," the princess explained. "All he needs is the magic arrow— the one that points the holder toward his home." Quickly, the princess began braiding the arrow with orange and yellow feathers into Fortune's tail. "Why don't you just stick it in his mouth?" Lucas asked. "This guy?" Princess Pulverizer asked. "He'll just eat it. Or, at the very least, break it with his teeth." The princess finished off the braid, and stood back to admire her work. Almost immediately, the unicorn's tail began to twitch and turn. Finally, it pointed to the left. Fortune jumped up in surprise. And then, he began to walk—backward—in the direction his tail pointed. "It's working!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly. "Sure is," Dribble agreed.

"I don't know why you guys ever doubt me," Princess Pulverizer said smugly. "I certainly never do." "I recognize those shimmery flowers," Princess Pulverizer said a long while later as she looked around the flowery meadow where the arrow had led them. "This is definitely Fortune's home." She unbraided the arrow from Fortune's tail and smiled.

"With all these flowers, and that brook, it's the perfect spot for unicorns," Lucas added. "It's got everything." "Except unicorns," Dribble pointed out sadly. "I don't see a single one. I guess I was wrong." Suddenly, Fortune reared up on his hind legs and began twirling in circles. Then he let out a series of cooing noises. "What's with him?" Dribble wondered. "He's dancing," Princess Pulverizer said. "And singing, I think." A chorus of coos echoed back from the bushes and trees. It sounded like a whole flock of turtledoves were hiding there. Only it wasn't a flock of birds. It was a blessing of unicorns. And now they were all running toward the center of the meadow. They leaped from the lavender. Raced from the rosebushes.