Julia

  Han out to find aodation for the twons, no, hikers, but no one wao take them in. Some even asked him to chase them away. In the end, they stayed with Leopold's family and new sleep arras had to be made.

  Peter, when he learned what the two newers were, had stared at the twons in bewilderment and then made them all ugh. "Dragons? Rea ones? Real, big dragons? With scales and wings and fire? I pet you?"

  Fiete and Josefiared at him speechlessly, while the rest of the group ughed.

  The new sleeping arras looked like this: Fin on the sofa in the living room and Mako as a wolf in front of it. Fiete had also turned into a wolf so that he could sleep on the floor and didn’t need a bed. Flora had givewo wolves soft bs on which they could lie. Julia aer stayed in the guest room. Together with Josefine.

  By now it was early m and loud voices woke her up. Someone was angrily banging on a door. Julia blinked and sat up, notig a purri on her body. Josefine. Or rather... Josef? Now that he was no longer human, but a bck, little cat with e paws… The cat protested with a meow against the sudden movement and then curled up purring uhe b on her p.

  "Is it m already?", murmured Peter, stretg out. "What is that noise?"

  "I don't know. Hopefully nothing bad." Julia yawook the small, purring cat in her arms, and climbed out of bed. Tired, she opehe door of the guest room and looked around the er. Hanno just opehe front door, in front of which stood a few bad-tempered elves. Finn, Marko, and Fiete were also awake. The three stood just as curiously at the living room door. Marko and Fiete were still in wolf form.

  "We are in the middle of an uprising! A revolution! And you take in strangers? What if they're the Queen's spies?", said an ed elf with dark skin and snow-white dragonfly wings. "Besides, I saw the hostages outside yesterday! The eldest said they were locked up!"

  Hanno snorted and ruffled his hair in annoyance. "Spies? Suonsehey got lost and we help them. That's it. And our so-called 'hostages' are children. Teenager! Who locks up children? It's cruel!"

  "Then hand them over to us if you're too soft!", the elf grumbled. "I like to lock them up! I'm happy to show the princess what we think of her and her family!" His gaze fell on Julia. Nervously, she scurried bato the guest room, while Hanno tiue with the other elves.

  Peter followed her. Finn, Marko, and Fiete also came into the guest room. The dragon turned bato a human and stopped in the doorway with a furrowed brow.

  "Friendly, these elves. Really friendly. I get hungry...", he murmured.

  "What?" Armed, Peter looked at him.

  Fiete wi him in amusement. "Don't worry, young man. I'm a nice draght? Nephew?"

  Josef took this as an opportunity to transform back as well, which led to Julia now having a young dragon in human form sitting on her p. She missed the soothing feeling of the purring cat.

  "Oops!", cried Josefine and tried to climb off Julia's p, but Julia ed her arms around her, causing Josefio ugh as she tried to get up. "Hey!" She pulled Julia off the bed and both lost their bance, giggling. Josefine couldn't get around to answering her uncle's question with ughter.

  Peter watched the spectacle with raised eyebrows, while Marko had other pns. He threw himself owo girls lying on the floor and licked Julia's face. "Marko!", she scolded, ughing. And to top it all off, Marko transformed back.

  "Marko!", cried Julia, now that the naked boy was sitting on her and Josefine.

  "And? Are you feelier now?", he asked ughing, and climbed down from the two.

  Josefiared at him in surprise. "Oh", she said.

  "Get dressed!" Peter threair of trousers to the wolf. "Before Finn explodes!"

  In fact, Finns were so red that it seemed he could explode. Marko wi him before he put on his pants with a grin. "I just wao cheer up our princess. I could smell her fear!"

  "By throwing yourself at her and Josefine?", asked Finn. "Really? We just met Josefine!"

  "Group cuddling always helps! If you want to cuddle too, I'd be ready!"

  Fiete scratched his head irritated and looked at Peter. "Is that normal here?"

  From the hallway, Hanno could be heard angrily sending the other elves away and smming the door shut. Josefine ran to her uncle and looked past him. "Is it over?"

  Julia sat down on the guest bed again. "I hope so."

  "So. They're gone! Such trouble." Hanno came to them and smiled. "What do you think of breakfast?"

  "A lot!", replied Peter with a nervous look at Fiete as Leopold and Flora came dowairs.

  "What kind of noise was that?", Flora wao know.

  Marie

  Her teacher told the css that Julia had been kidherefore, from now on, some guards would be statio the academy to protect all students. The academy's teachers had just been informed of the kidnapping, and it would take a day or two for all the guards to arrive. Their presence was solely for prote and the students should not worry.

  During the break, Marie and Pia sat together. They had looked for a small table in the dining room, where it was unusually quiet. The kidnapping of the princess had hit all the students hard. Some groups chatted quietly about the shog heir teachers had shared with them.

  "Kidnapped!" Marie buried her fa her hands. "She was kidnapped! And we 't help her!"

  "We only wait. She's ing back safely. Healthy and well."

  "You think so? And if not?"

  Pia sighed. "Then I don't know what to do."

  "Pia? Let's bee soldiers together!", announced Marie. "As a soldier, I protect my friends!"

  Pia smiled. "That sounds good."

  Marie did not want to allow anyone she had grown fond of to be kidnapped again. No. She would bee a soldier and protect everyone she loved!

  Torsten

  The vampires worried him. Many looked at him as if he were lun two legs. They were polite, yes. But nothing more. Apart from his future parents-in-w and his fiahey treated him as if he were already part of the family. Right now he was sitting in the library with a tutor who introduced him to the ws and traditions of vampires. The lessons were b, but Torsten listetentively. He had to know all this if he wao have influence.

  After some time, Annemarie came to the library. She had some blood in the ers of her mouth and smiled at him with bloody teeth. "Are you diligent?"

  The eating habits of the royal family still seemed strao him. At every meal, they drank blood. Preserved blood. Mostly from humans, but from time to time also from the blood of animals. But between meals, they liked to drink directly from people. At least Marlon and Annemarie. He wasn’t so sure about the king and queen.

  The tutor, a vampire with bck hair, left them aloh a bow.

  "You ate, as I see." Torsten smiled at her lovingly. She was beautiful. Every day he liked her more.

  "I was a little thirsty. Mother wants me to be part of the cil when we're married. This is wonderful. The cil discusses the most important ws and everything about them. They are advisors to the . I will work with the financial officer. This is a great opportunity."

  "That's wonderful!" Torsten hoped to get such a post as well. But first, he had to learhing to uand his new home.

  "I think she wants to get you on the cil too. Mother hi it."

  He liked that all the more. "And your brother?"

  "She sends him to the military. That's where he should gain experience." Annemarie rolled her eyes. "We both learo handle a sword, but Marlon was always worse than me. Presumably, they make life difficult for him there. He was never particurly talented when it came to the sword. Of course, he never realized that. Marlon will leave after our wedding."

  "We'll stay in the castle?" Torstehat a hallway was being renovated for both of them, which was avaible to them by then. But Annemarie also owned her owe.

  "Well, if we're both parts of the cil, that only makes sense. But after our wedding, we go to my, our, estate for a few days. What do you think? Would you like that?"

  "Very much so! I 't wait to have you all to myself!"

  Annemarie licked her lips. "I feel the same way."