Princess Catrina told him he was very boring. She decided to take an exploring trip into the deep, dark forest.

"Who wants to come along?" she asked merrily, knowing that everyone loved her. Of course they wanted to do whatever she wanted, so they hopped onto their ponies and into carts and followed her to the edge of the forest.

Her guards with silver and golden swords went first.

The forest was very dark and scary, but the guards strode ahead fearlessly.

Princess Catrina rode in her unicorn-drawn carriage, and behind her were all her friends.

Her golden crown glittered in the dim light. She stood very tall in her carriage, so they weren't afraid. Several of them even began to sing softly, about the Catskill Mountains, because it was the Princess's favorite song.

Suddenly the party halted in front of a most amazing creature.

It was a turtle, but a turtle with huge, glowing eyes and a strange smile:

"I don't like the looks of this creature at all," thought the guard with the silver sword, and he stepped forward.

"Begone!" he said sternly, raising his sword and shaking it.

The turtle smiled a sweet smile and said in a musical voice, "But my master, Lord Mandible of Savage Town, wishes to meet you! He saw you coming from his grass castle and sent me to greet the Princess!"

His voice was just as beautiful as a fine singer's.

Princess Catrina was easily enchanted, so she ordered her guards to walk ahead with the turtle.

"I would like to meet with this Lord Mandible," she said regally.

"Yes, Princess Catrina," said the guard with the golden sword, but he whispered to the other guard, and they decided to be extra cautious and keep their swords pointed.

In a very few minutes, the party came to a clearing in the forest, where was a rustic little town and interesting inhabitants, most of them with odd, staring eyes.

"Welcome," said a voice, and they realized a hooded figure was suddenly standing beside their caravans.

"Please come this way to the Grass Castle, Princess," said the mysterious figure, and then turned to the guards.

"Lord Mandible dislikes swords," he said in his muffled voice from under his hood. "You can't come with us."

"It's all right," said Princess Catrina. "Everyone seems quite pleasant."

"But Princess! They said this was called 'Savage Town'!" worried the guards.

"I am sorry to hurt your feelings, Hooded Figure," said Princess Catrina after a quiet moment of thinking, "but I always trust my guards to know best, and so you must tell Lord Mandible we will not be staying." She sighed a little. "I do regret not getting to visit his grass castle."

Suddenly the hooded figure cast a spell that froze everyone in place! He picked up the frozen Princess Catrina and carried her away! Everyone watched, but no one could move to help her!

As soon as he got her up the stairs to the grass castle, he closed the bark door and locked her inside with Count Mandible!

When Catrina's guards and subjects came back to themselves, they discovered that they were surrounded by the inhabitants of Savage Town.

There was a terrible fight.

In the end, it grew dark, the both guards lost their swords, and the entire party had to return back through the forest.

They came to Nice Town just as the moon came up.

"What shall we do?" everyone asked, crying and hugging each other. And then they elected Green Boy, who went sadly to the castle to tell Prince Whiskers the terrible news.

I have told you everything I know, except that this very night, in the castle Writing Room, the guards are meeting with Prince Whiskers to come up with a plan to make their way to the Grass Castle and save the Princess.

Next: Lord Mandible proposes.

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