“Where are we going? How are you planning to free the prince?”
“Hmm.” Hannah was pondering. “We should summon Frieda.”
“Frieda?”
“The prince’s godmother.”
“You mean the highly esteemed Friederike the Enchantress?”
“Highly esteemed? I should think so. She’s the one who conjured the brick pathway through the forest.”
“Oh, yes! I’ve never met her, and neither have many of the other unicorns. That would be fabulous!”
Irmgard was trotting in place, wildly swishing her tail, and neighing enthusiastically. As she did so, she lifted her noblehead. That gesture could have appeared arrogant, but her carefree manner and happy neighing made Hannah smile.
“How do we summon that great enchantress?” Irmgard asked.
“We need a spring, a brook, or a small lake. Do you know where there’s water nearby?”
Irmgard whinnied. “Of course! Follow me.”
And the unicorn immediately trotted off. She raised her hooves in a way that made her seem wary of touching the dirty forest floor, though not a bit of dirt had landed on her legs, ankles, or hooves. No matter which pile of earth she stepped on, not a single speck of dirt, grain of dust, or pine needle clung to her shining hooves. And she was so fast that Hannah could hardly keep up.
“Wait!” Hannah was running after the mythical creature. She jumped over sticks and stones as she hurried after Irmgard, who hardly seemed to remember she was there. “You’re too fast for me!”
The unicorn snorted and turned around. “Oh, I’m sorry! I guess that didn’t occur to me. We’re in a hurry, though, aren’t we?”
Panting, Hannah propped her hands on her knees and nodded.
“I’ll carry you. Can you ride?”
Hannah stared at Irmgard, speechless. Was she serious? “No...”
“Then you’ll learn! Stand over there on that tree stump!”
Hannah did as she was told, and Irmgard trotted up beside her.
“Now jump on my back!”
Carefully, so as not to hurt the noble creature, Hannah climbed onto her back, and Irmgard immediately set off. It wasn’t as cozy as Maximilian’s back, but Hannah could sitstraighter and adapt more easily to the unicorn’s trotting movements. She put her arms loosely around the animal’s neck and smiled. If only her little Emi could see her now—what a thrill that would be for her!
“There’s a little spring up ahead!” Irmgard cried. But when they reached the spot in question, there was no water in sight.
“Did it dry up?”
“That can’t be. It’s an ancient spring that’s been spouting water from the rocks for hundreds and hundreds of years.”
“But there aren’t any rocks here.”
Irmgard neighed. “Oh, I forgot! We should have made a right turn by the elderberry bushes.” The unicorn snorted and turned around. In her noble and delicate way, she trotted back down the path until they came to a large group of elderberry shrubs. The scent wafted up to their noses as Hannah’s shoulder brushed against the clusters of white flowers. A short while later, they arrived at a gushing spring that was next to a boulder. Individual rocks were piled one on top of the other. A thick, powerful stream of water was gushing out from between the cracks and splashing into a shimmering green pond surrounded by ferns.
“Perfect. We can call Frieda here.” Hannah leapt off the unicorn’s back and bent down over the spring-fed pond. “Frieda! Are you there? Can you hear me? Frieda?”
But the surface of the water was quiet.
“Frieda!” Hannah cried and then tried again, each time louder. “Frieda!”
At last, the water began to ripple. The first thing Hannah saw was the gleam of her neighbor’s half-moon glasses. Then, shortly after, Frieda’s pointy face appeared with Hannah’s three children beside her, all looking worried.
