They paddled against the flow of the stream as fast as they could, finally reaching the base of rocks and opening of the cave.

Rupret was a knot of limbs, neck and tail, fast asleep and snoring ringlets of smoke.

"Rupret get up! The princesses need you!" Francis yelled. Rupret only tightened further into his coil.

"You're doing it wrong," Danny said, licking his dry lips. "Hey! Who let these pigs in here and why are they all wearing pineapple?!"

Rupret mumbled in his slumber something about a little piggy going to market, but he did not wake.

"Exceptional hearing, my foot!" Francis shouted. He wound up his leg to kick the dragon's thigh.

"What are you, nuts?!" Danny said, halting him in a panic.

"Forget it," Francis said. "We'll wake Frederic."

They raced up the stairs to the princesses' room, but once out in the hall, they crashed into each other, determined for different directions.

"Frederic's room is this way," Francis grunted as Danny tried to get past him again.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we grab our stuff first?"

"We'll need a plan before we do anything. And back up."

"But what if Frederic throws us out?"

"Why would he?"

"Because we're going to sound crazy! Here's the thing, Fred, the girls are working for Robert, and they're going to try to kill Victor."

Francis figured they'd waste as much time arguing. "Fine. We'll get our things first," he said, trying to hurry Danny along. But the poor guy just stood where he was with a delayed, dumbstruck look.

"Holy moly. The girls are working for Robert, and they're gonna kill Victor!"

"Of all the nefarious schemes," Francis seethed, charging towards their room while Danny skipped to catch up.

"It's evil, Francis. That's what it is. He's an evil genius."

"Watching us duke it out for years, the villages destroyed, the lives lost – with this black magic plan up his sleeves the whole time."

"It would've had to have been the whole time, too," Danny said unhelpfully. "Even armed to the teeth, a bunch of toddlers against Victor's men?" He shook his head and shuddered.

Francis halted with hands against either side of the doorway. "How are we going to stop him?"

"We'll just have to get Fred to lock the girls up until Victor gets here and let him figure it out," Danny said, ducking under Francis' armpit. "We beat Robert once. We'll do it again."

He felt under both beds for his balled-up dirty socks like he was on an Easter-egg hunt. Francis stuffed his other clothes into a sack, but the wagon wheels of his mind went off-road.

"It's not Robert I'm worried about. What if Ivan gets away? He might still have access to the princesses whenever, wherever he wants. He could turn himself into a shadow, or speck of dust, or a bad breeze that blows in through a window. One whisper of those words in that song – 'good girls do as they should' or 'as they're told' or whatever that was – and they'll be under his spell again."

"That's why we keep them under guard until it's safe."

"If we don't know how to snap them out of it, they'll never be safe. Are we just going to doom them to a life of being locked up forever?"

"It's not like it'll be a tower with bad plumbing. There'll be amenities," Danny said. Francis shook his head solemnly. "So what are you saying?"

"We need to find out how he wakes the princesses up."

"Good idea. Let's ask them."

"They don't have a clue it's happening, Danny."

"So let's tell them."

Francis ran his thumb over his chin in thought.

"Francis, don't say it, I beg you."

"We need to follow them again tomorrow night. It's our last chance. We'll find out exactly how Ivan does it and what the plan is. Obviously, he and Robert are waiting for the royal caravan to arrive. It's safe to assume they'll need to sneak in somehow. Will Robert be with them, or will he be waiting? Once we know everything, we'll tell Frederic. Even if he doesn't believe us and still throws us out, at least he'll have the information he needs."

"Nuh-uh. Nope. No. Count me out."

He finished shoving his things into his bag but the corner of the cloak the old woman had given them kept getting caught while he tried to tie a knot. Frustrated, he finally pulled in out and through it on the floor near Francis' feet.

"Danny..."

"Don't bother laying the guilt. We are outnumbered. We could die trying and the girls would be no better off. Let's just tell them what's happening and warn them not to go."

"You think they're going to listen to us? They'll say it's part of our plan to spoil their fun and collect a reward.

"Some reward. Maybe ten measly coins to split between us while we're on the run from a deranged wizard and the country's most wanted. Assuming we make it out of that barn alive. You may think you're being gallant but you're using Rita and Ginger as bait."

"It's the only way, Danny. We can do it. We have to."

"Why can't we just stuff cotton in their ears?"

"Danny..."

"We should've just delivered the king's message like I wanted to in the first place and been off," Danny sulked.

"Like you wanted?"

"Well, I didn't have any of this in mind. You, though. You live for this stuff."

"Oh, I do, do I?"

"Yes, you do, do you, because you're cracked."

"And you're a coward."

"Ha! I think your chain mail's missing a couple of links."

"Yeah, well your liver's stuffed with a couple of extra lilies."

"That's funny. Is it twelve o'clock again? Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"

"I thought it was early sunrise, but it's just your yellow belly popping out its girdle."

"Lighthouse keeper!"

"Possum player!"

Danny ran to the far wall where a giant, decorative bear stood stuffed in an attack pose. "This is you," Danny said, continuously poking the thing. "Is this okay? How about this?"

"Oh yeah?" Francis said, grabbing the old woman's cloak from the floor, "This is you." He wrapped it around his head and shoulders like a shawl and in a high-pitched voice shouted, "Save the women and children first!"

"That was only once and – Francis? Francis, where'd you go?"

If you've never seen a person disappear from the waist up before, I don't recommend it. It really should be all or nothing. Francis couldn't have known that an invisibility cloak was now covering his top half so it wasn't his fault that Danny felt the floor fall out beneath him as he stared at a disembodied chin floating high above a pair of knees and Francis's scuffed boots.

"What do you mean? I'm right in front of you."

"Parts of you are," Danny gulped.

"Who's crazy now?"

"Honest, Francis. You threw the cloak over your head and half of you disappeared."

Francis dropped the cloak and reappeared in full form.

"Give it here," Danny said, "I'll show you."

Danny donned the cloak as it was meant to be worn and vanished before Francis' eyes.

"Good night!"

"Brother, you can say that again! Do you know what we could do with this thing?"

He dropped his hood and was now just a grinning head.

"I know exactly what. Sneak into that club and save the princesses!"

"Right! Wait. I was thinking more like sneaking onto a football field during a match and stealing the ball."

"You mean sneak into enemy camp and eavesdrop on strategy."

"Sure, you could. I'll let you borrow it sometime."

"Borrow it?"

"Well, it's mine. That batty old thing gave it to me, bless her heart. That and my whistle. Gee, I wonder if it does anything besides blow."

Danny pulled the silver chain around his neck, fishing the whistle out from under his shirt to examine it.

Maybe it's a wish-le," said Francis. "You make a wish and pass it on."

"Nice try. I know you're jealous because all you got was that lousy key, but you could at least butter me up a little."

"You are so right," Francis said ruefully. "Danny, brave, generous Danny, may I please borrow your cloak so that I can sneak into the barn tonight and save the kingdom?"

"I don't know. You called me a lot of hurtful names before."

"Fine then, wear it yourself."

"I will."

"Wear it to the dance tonight and leave me exposed."

"Watch me."

"Good. I hope Robert does show up so you can hotfoot him."

"Cross fingers," Danny said with another hard gulp, realizing what he'd just volunteered to do.