The bed was warm to the touch still, the indent of the mattress where the princess's light form once lay being testimony to her existence.

Bubbles gazed at this evidence, listened to the regular breathing of the others in the room and the whispering of the night curtain. This drew her to the window.

Dormitory Flare was on the top floor. First years had this privilege among so many others. A wonderful view of the grounds and surrounding forested hills of Frangea's mountain district. The front facing windows even possessed glimpses of the sea. Now though, in the misty moonlight, Bubbles stood upon a balcony that faced east, the light of Foam casting a long shadow across the lawn that stretched to the amble walks that led up among the pinewoods. The hum of insects and the blowsy fragrances of forest plants filled her senses and she looked up, turning slightly to glimpse overhanging roof eaves in darkness.

Sharshua was the detective of the group, the one who noticed tiny details and strung them together as answers to mysteries. Bubbles had absorbed a little of this skill in the brief time she had known the exotic and fascinating Octora Winkel girl. Rappy's bed was still warm. Thus she had not been long out of it. Her nightgown was missing, also slippers, but her possessions upon the vanity top were all in place, little mementos of home undisturbed by considered flight. The princess was not far.

Again Bubbles glanced at the roof above and listened. A sweeping breeze ruffled pine needles across the nearest amble walk and moth-like creatures fluttered inquisitively near the silent figure. A few steps later and she was on the sloping ladder next to the balcony, climbing the stretch of roof that shaded a lower floor, rising to the tiled crest above where a landscape of light and darkness spread before her searching gaze.

The Plazenby school buildings consisted of three blocks loosely joined by walkways and colonnades. The lower school perversely was the higher placed building, atop a spur of Mount Syzywyg, shaped like a stunted letter 'H' and having three floors in its central trunk. Bubbles had climbed above a branched off wing and stood upon the main roof, serried ranks of tiles lit by a moon glow made hazy by low thin cloud. There was no danger or menace in the exploration, even by night, for the rooftops formed part of recreational work for the girls. Their variegated landscape of slopes and ladders were an exercise course that sharpened concentration, aided fitness and taught caution.

Bubbles carefully traversed a narrow walkway that skirted the highest roof ridge between two towers and dodged disturbed birds, fluttering as dark or silver shapes around her curly head. Their soft cries of alarm dissipated in the night just as the local girl's concern dissipated on sight of a crouching figure half in and half out of the moonshadow of the far tower. "Did you hope to catch a glimpse of Xenia from way up here?" she said gently after clearing her throat to signal her presence. The shape shifted, ponytail shimmering in the moonlight and great sad eyes looked up at the new arrival.

"I hoped the nightmare would disappear," came an impassioned reply. "I hoped tiredness would soothe the buzzing in my ears, but it has not. This night is so peaceful. All of Frangea sleeps and dreams of the beautiful day to come, but I can only think of those eyes that look right through you, drinking deep of the very secrets of your soul."

There was no doubt this girl was a citizen of the Highly Romantic Winkel, Bubbles mused.

"I know what you mean. I saw those creepy eyes. Surely your father would be taking measures to keep you safe, so far away from him?"

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"I think a race has begun."

Bubbles sat by her best friend on the tiled slope, placing her feet carefully on the supports so she would not end up sliding all the way down into the darkness below where prickly bushes abounded.

"Sounds sporty. Is your cute Prime Mover involved by any chance?" and she nudged the princess's shoulder.

"He is," came the enthused response and Rappy straightened up. "Miss Thornshrike told me as soon as it was known Baron Vonrigg had disappeared unexpectedly, Valerit declared the heir in danger and would ensure I was safe, protecting me with every drop of his blood. Have you ever heard anything so romantic?"

"Not recently," Bubbles replied with a laugh. "Say, with all this waiting to see who jumps out of the shadows first, why don't we finish this long night with a bit of a raid? I heard Dormitory Sensation has a stash of cakes in their common room cupboard, you know, the one with the broken lock."

Although this suggestion was received with muted enthusiasm the girls made the attempt nonetheless, expecting all the while to meet rival mischief makers on such a calm and balmy night upon the slopes of Mount Syzywyg and have a fight on their hands requiring reinforcements.

It all ended in failure of course. Sharshua had philosophised on numerous occasions that spontaneous plans would meet many obstacles, which she called in her quaint idiom numerous blockages, and so it was. The Sensation girls did not care for the night air and though their tuck cupboard might have a broken lock, their balcony windows held firm.

"Back to bed then," Bubbles sighed, giving the obstinate blockage a shadow kick so as not to rouse light sleepers but a wall's thickness away. "Tomorrow's bright blue skies will give a better outlook on things I reckon," she added to help soothe the frayed nerves of her royal companion.

A sleepless night surrounded by noisy energetic first years brought its own problems of course and the elegant princess was in danger of nodding and drooling during morning lessons, including one horse jumping session that nearly led to an international incident, if concussion can be so named.

By lunch time the Flare girls knew the score and gathered round their princess protectively.

"We're going to find you a nice quiet Winkel of woodland where you can have a catch-me-up sleep," Bubbles insisted.

"I shall guard you with my heart and soul so that no creature dare disturb your slumbers on pain of death and mutilation," the fierce Lady Sunshine said, her eyes flashing fire from her dark and pretty face. She always made her school uniform seem a secret repository for hidden weapons somehow in a way that impressed Bubbles not a little.

The Massking twins said, almost in unison, they would watch the amble walks leading to this arbour of peace, while reading a book. Sharshua bowed and suggested sleep at night was the best cure for sleeplessness during the day. This was greeted with a chorus of "we know that!" Of course she was not imparting knowledge but trying in her gentle way to admonish bad habits, night time prowling being one of these.

Bubbles sat upon a log once everyone else was settled and ate a sandwich so packed with cucumber she had to distance herself from Princess Rapture, lest the crunching of crisp vegetables brought Sunshine Allouette down upon her with a razor keen scimitar to lop off offending limbs and end life indiscriminately.

It was lucky she had placed herself where she did for the incongruous figure of Mr Bantleberry traipsing up an amble path among slippery dried pine needles that rolled under his hiking boots mischievously would have escaped her otherwise. Thus she was able to prevent unnecessary death and a rearranging of the teaching faculty at Plazenby's.

"Hullo, Mr Bantleberry, what brings you out in the wilds with the sun so high?" Bubbles said from her log, half hidden among wisteria bushes. The man was comically startled and produced a lilac handkerchief to mop his balding brow a moment.

"Ah, good day, Miss Bannatyne, is it?" He squinted through dark glasses at the first year whom he believed he might have taught orienteering to in the winter months. "Might you know where Her Exultant Highness may be, ah, hiding out? I have an important message for her."

Bubbles jumped up at this and raced to where Sunshine stood guard. The latter was actually wielding a whittled club menacingly at the sound.

"Crisis," Bubbles puffed out. "Teacher with a message."