The

Princess Trap
KIRSTEN BOIE
T R A N S L AT E D B Y D AV I D H E N R Y W I L S O N

SCHOLASTIC INC.
NEW YORK
SYDNEY

TORONTO

MEXICO CITY

LONDON
NEW DELHI

AUCKLAND
HONG KONG

Original text copyright 2007 by Verlag Friedrich Oetinger

English translation copyright 2009 by David Henry Wilson
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ISBN 978-0-545-22262-4
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Printed in the U.S.A.

This edition first printing, June 2012
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Book design by Becky Terhune and Kristina Iulo

40

The

PrincessTrap

PROLOGUE

candia was celebrating.

Flags fluttered over the palace, and crowds of people

clustered around the stalls and booths lining the boulevard.

To the king! they cried, raising their glasses. To Scandia,
united at last! And to a future full of joy and justice for all!
Children of all backgrounds were playing in the palace
park, which had been opened to the public for the first time in
the countrys history. Balloons of all colors, dangling messages
of goodwill, rose high in the sky, while music blared from
loudspeakers up in the trees. Small boys and girls twisted
and turned to the tunes, oblivious to everything around them,
while older children played ball games on the lawns, yelling
at the tops of their lungs and getting grass stains on their best
clothes, though today their mothers didnt seem to mind.
In the midst of the throng stood King Magnus and his sister, Margareta. They shook hands, smiled, and exchanged
friendly words with the crowd, while their bodyguards kept
a respectful distance. The two princesses Malena, tall with

short blonde hair, and Jenna, brunette and smaller had

separated from them, and were happily waving to people
and laughing as children plucked at their skirts or nudged
them with their elbows so that they could later say theyd
touched royalty. The two girls hummed along with the music
from the loudspeakers, and graciously accepted bouquets
of flowers, which they then discreetly passed on to their
bodyguards.
Just a few paces away walked a dark-haired boy, his eyes
always fixed on the smaller of the two girls as she acknowledged the cheers.
Isnt it wonderful! whispered a woman, her head bent
over a paper plate on which she was balancing a frankfurter
while trying not to spill ketchup over her dress. Who would
ever have thought things would turn out so well after we saw
the king go to his grave less than a year ago!
Her husband skillfully turned over some more franks on
a portable barbecue, and took a bottle out of the well-worn
cooler hed put down on the grass beside him.
When we thought wed seen the king go to his grave! he
said. Good to see how happy the little princesses are now,
after all theyve been through. But youre right: Whod have
thought it?
The woman stuck the rest of her hot dog in her mouth,
looked furtively around to see if anyone was watching, and
then quickly licked her fingers. Is there another one ready?

she asked. Thank you. And north and south united! Justice
at last for the northerners!
Her husband passed her the ketchup. Some people wont
be too happy about the election results, he said. In fact, some
people are going to be very unhappy. They think there are far
too many northerners in the government now.
Who cares what they think? the woman said. There are
more northerners in Scandia than southerners, so weve just
got to get used to it. As our king keeps telling us, we in the
south must learn to share our wealth. And now you can see
just how happy the country is.
The man pursed his lips. Lets hope so, he said skeptically.
Lets just hope so.
Some distance away from the hustle and bustle, standing in
the shade of the tall old cedar trees, a group of men in elegant
suits and uniforms gazed out thoughtfully over the lawn as
the king came toward them.
To the happiness of our country! they said, raising their
glasses to the king. And to our entry at last into the family of
free, democratic nations. Long live King Magnus! Long live
Princess Margareta! Long live the two princesses!
And long live the great and the good of Scandia, said the
king, also raising his glass, who have so courageously supported these reforms. Then he turned once more to the crowd
and waved them a swift good-bye.
The men watched him go, and no one noticed the wary

glances they cast behind his back as they spoke to one another
in lowered voices.
The two princesses would have been the last to notice such
things anyway. In their billowing dresses they raced across
the lawn, almost delirious with joy; they linked arms and
laughed and waved to the right and the left, and they thought
nothing could go wrong.

s soon as the alarm went off on his cell phone,

Jonas was alert. There was no moment of transition,

no gray area between asleep and awake, no recollection of a

dream.
Almost noiselessly, he swung his legs out of the bed and put

on his track pants. Sneakers in hand, he tiptoed to the French

door that opened out onto the spiral fire escape. One of his
roommates turned over with a soft sigh, and Jonas froze for
a second. They still had exactly forty-five minutes sleep left,
and the others would kill him if he robbed them of it.
The cold metal steps beneath his bare feet still came as a
shock. But its getting easier, thought Jonas as he reached the
last step and stooped to put on his sneakers. These days Id feel
there was something missing from my life if I didnt go running
before school.
Jonas had the world to himself. The air was pure, with the
last streaks of morning mist rising knee-high above the wide
lawn, behind which stretched the forest. The first wispy clouds

seemed to be hanging motionless in the sky, and although the

suns light was still glassy, almost cool, he could already sense
the dawning heat.
He covered the first quarter mile with long strides, pumping his arms in wide circles so that his whole body felt alive;
then he began a slow trot. Behind the boys wing, the grass
sloped gently down over several hundred yards into the valley, where it came to an end as it reached the dense forest.
For a few seconds every morning, Jonas stopped to enjoy the
view: The forest was dark and endless, but farther off
the landscape was dotted with occasional summer-green fields
and red-roofed farmhouses, which shone in the morning light.
There were lakes, too, large and small, whose surfaces now
glittered in the sun. And on the horizon, a yellow-gray haze
that hardly ever dispersed, behind which lay the capital and
the sea.
Scandia is beautiful, he thought, and began to run a bit
faster. Scandia is never so beautiful as it is first thing in the
morning. Then he stopped himself. For goodness sake, Jonas,
focus! he thought. Stop with the sentimental! Thats the last
thing you need to be right now.
He pushed himself a bit harder, his springy steps making
tiny squelching noises as he ran over the damp grass. He
estimated that he was moving faster than on the previous
day, and he felt as fresh as if he had only just started out. Im
improving, he thought. Every day. Next time I speak to my dad,
Ive got to tell him. Liron always says its important that I be

prepared at all times. He can only mean by getting fit, by keeping

my eyes open. Well, Im certainly doing that, and how else can I
prepare except by training?
He finally reached the edge of the forest, and started out
along the narrow, shadowy path that led through the trees and
around the school campus. The security fence was concealed
behind the thick foliage, as were the guard posts, which had
been doubled since Jenna had arrived almost a year ago. If
he had not already known about them, he could have thought
there was no one else around for miles.
Last summer, as they had driven to the school, Liron had
talked to him about what would happen to the country now
that the king had been returned to power. Jonas had been
surprised when, halfway into the journey, his father had suddenly swung the car sharply to the right and brought it to a
standstill on the sandy shoulder of the road.
Dont imagine that its all over now, Jonas, Liron had told
him, turning off the engine so that there was no sound other
than his voice and the roar of passing cars. Dont assume that
were going to live happily ever after just because the good
king is back. Its only been eight weeks since he was rescued.
And this is no fairy tale.
Jonas had waited, realizing why his father had insisted
on driving him to the boarding school himself, without a
chauffeur or bodyguards. It wouldnt have been wise to let
them overhear such a conversation. On the blacktop, trucks

thundered past, together with a stream of well-polished family

sedans out on weekend excursions.
You must always be prepared, Jonas, Liron had said. Just
because you can go back to school now and it looks as if the
worlds been put right or is about to be that doesnt mean
we can relax. We have to be on our guard at all times.
And then at last he explained to Jonas what he should have
told him weeks ago: that the threats to Scandian unity werent
over yet.
The king is getting across his message about equal rights
for north and south, he said. Reform will come. Even the
southerners can see they stand to gain by it. And, thanks to
you and Jenna and Malena, the immediate crisis is over. But
the greedy rich southerners who backed Norlin and helped
kidnap the king are still here, and theyre still just as anxious
to destabilize the country.
But why? Jonas asked. And who?
If we knew that, Id feel a lot safer, Liron answered, and
turned on the ignition again to make his way back into the
traffic. Im going to try to find out. There are a few clues,
but not enough. Thats why I keep telling you to be prepared.
Anything can happen at any time, and as my son . . .
What happened to Bolstrm and Norlin? Jonas
had said.
Theyre in exile somewhere in South America.
And the rebels?
Nahira has sent them all home.

10

What about Jenna? Jonas asked, and felt a blush rising

all the way up his neck.
Near them on the road, the exhaust from a tractor-trailer
belched out thick gray clouds, and Liron closed the windows.
Jenna, he said. Yes. Thats the only reason Im happy shes
going to the same school. Keep an eye on her, Jonas.
Jonas nodded. The road led upward, and around the next
bend they would be able to see the school.
Why are you telling me this now? asked Jonas. Why didnt
you tell me before? Why did you let me go on thinking that
everything was going to be OK once the king was free again?
I never had the chance. It was hard enough borrowing the
cooks car to drive you here so we could talk safely. I had to
tell her I fell for a girl years ago in exactly this model car
I saw someone use that as a reason in a movie once! The
cooks car wont be bugged, you see, Jonas, so were safe. But
where else could we be sure that every word isnt reaching
ears that we dont want overhearing us?
Liron had not taken his eyes off the road. Listen very carefully to what Im going to say now, Jonas, because I shant be
able to repeat it. You mustnt tell anyone, and maybe what Im
about to do is crazy. He said nothing for a moment. But just
in case anything should happen to me . . .
They had reached the top of the hill, and the green countryside stretched far and wide before them; they could already
see the gate, with the flag of Morgard flying. Listen carefully.
But dont tell anyone!

11

But why . . . ? Jonas had asked.

If something happens to me, just think about these three
questions, Liron persisted. One: What came three years after
the kingdom of Scandia conquered North Island?
What are you talking about? asked Jonas. Are you giving
me a history lesson now?
Just think about these questions if something happens to
me, Liron repeated. OK? Number two: Which was the highest building in Scandia for a long time, and why?
So it is a history lesson! said Jonas. Dad! You may as well
just tell me now . . .
Liron put the car into a lower gear. And the last question
is: What have dwarfs and wonders got in common?
Dwarfs and wonders? repeated Jonas. You cannot be
serious! Does this have to do with fairy tales or something?
Liron smiled. They were almost at the school gates, and
Jonas knew he was not going to get any more information out
of his dad. Dont forget the questions! was all Liron said.
They had reached the school, and Jonas had spent the rest of
the trip in silence. After the liberation battle in Saarstad, he
had really thought it was all over, and that they had won for
good. How stupid hed been.
Or maybe he hadnt.
Jonas was now running at a steady pace through the forest.
That conversation was more than six months ago, he thought,
and nothing bad has happened since then. He was beginning to

12

think that Liron had been paranoid, imagining another plot.

Besides, his father never actually said a word about how he
should prepare, or what he should prepare for nothing except
that he had to remember those three crazy questions!
For a few yards, the path through the trees ran close to
the security fence, and between the trunks Jonas could see
barbed wire stretched above the outward-leaning spikes.
Then he was back again in the depths of the forest.
Dad has spent most of his life living in fear, and he sees ghosts
around every corner, Jonas mused. But nothing bad has happened recently. The elections have come and gone. We have
members of parliament from north and south. The new government has started passing laws to make things fairer, and hell
soon get everything hes ever fought for. Anyway, he hasnt said
another word about it since that conversation. So maybe everythings all right now. Maybe theres no need for me to get up at
the crack of dawn every day to go running.
Jonas could see the school lake shimmering through the
trees. He upped the pace for the homestretch. As he came
closer, the whole campus lay before him: the main building
behind the lake, with the girls wing to the right and the boys to
the left, the tennis courts, lacrosse and football fields, the track,
and the 25-meter swimming pool. Through the open windows
on the ground floor came the sound of cutlery on china, as the
first students sat down to breakfast in the cafeteria.
Outside the boys wing, he put his hands on his knees and
breathed deeply. Come on, admit it, he thought. Youre not just

13

training for Dad. If you were, youd have started right back in
the autumn after he gave you that warning, not waited till the
spring. So admit why you really get up and go for a run so early.
Cant you be honest, at least with yourself?
Jenna.
Why shouldnt he keep an eye on her? Liron said he should.
And Jonas knew she sometimes went running before breakfast. Hed heard the other girls sneering about how she was
trying to get rid of her northern fat.
He went through the front entrance of the building. He
was breathing easily now, so maybe he should increase the
distance tomorrow. All the corridors were buzzing with life,
voices, laughter. If he was late, Perry would save a place for
him in the cafeteria.
Jenna. He thought about her again, and was shocked at the
effect her name had on him.

14