“That’s true,” Mal agreed, “but do you know how many types of thorns there are?”
“No,” Audrey replied. “And I don’t want to know. I don’t have any room in my brain for this. I have to cram two centuries of Auradon history in there before next Monday!”
“Isn’t Auradon only, like, twenty years old?” Evie asked, looking confused.
Audrey seemed pleased to impart her knowledge. “Technically, yes. King Beast only joined the kingdoms two decades ago. However, the separate kingdoms that make up the United States of Auradon are extremely old. You see, back in—”
“Ugh,” Freddie, Dr. Facilier’s daughter, said, flicking the green feather attached to her red pinstriped dress. “Enough talk of kingdoms. Boring! Someone has got to help me study for my Remedial Goodness 101 final. I think I’m going to fail.”
“And whose fault is that?” chirped Audrey.
Thankfully, before Audrey and Freddie could start arguing, Ally, Alice in Wonderland’s daughter, stepped in, holding up a teapot and asking in her chipper British accent, “More tea, anyone?”
Everyone raised their hands. Ally walked around the room, refilling cups. Her family owned the tea shop, so she was an excellent hostess for these regular tea parties.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Ally suggested with a toss of her long blond hair. “Lonnie? How are your R.O.A.R. practices going?”
At first, Lonnie didn’t hear the question, because she was too distracted by her own thoughts. Why hadn’t the council replied to her letter yet? Had they even received it? Had the messenger delivered it to the wrong address? What if it had fallen off the delivery truck and was lying in a ditch somewhere?
“Lonnie?” asked Ally again.
That’s when Lonnie realized that everyone—Mal, Evie, Jane, Freddie, Jordan, Audrey, and Ally—was staring at her, waiting for her to answer. Lonnie blinked and tried to focus back on her friends. “I’m sorry. What?”
Ally chuckled. “I was asking about the R.O.A.R. team.”
Lonnie nodded absently. “Oh. Right. Sorry.”
She hadn’t yet told any of her friends about her request for the sword. Well, technically, that wasn’t true. She’d told Jay, because she had to tell someone. But no one else, because she wanted it to be a surprise. They were all going to be at the big induction ceremony—the whole school was—and she wanted to see the looks on all her friends’ faces when she unsheathed the famous Shan-Yu sword.
“So?” Ally said, pouring more tea into Lonnie’s cup. “How are practices going?”
Lonnie could tell the girls were waiting for more detail, because they were all still staring at her, but she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t exactly tell them that she’d spent the last three practices in a daze, watching the door and waiting for a messenger to show up with a letter from the council.
“They’re fine. Everything is fine,” she said, hoping to avoid any more questions.
“Well, you just have to let me do your makeup for the induction ceremony,” Jordan said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. “We’ll do a whole new look for you. I’ll film it and put it in the Style Bazaar section of my web show! We’ll call the look ‘Warrior Wow’!”
Lonnie instinctively shook her head. Jordan was always trying to do Lonnie’s makeup, but Lonnie wasn’t super into makeup. She was all for trying out new hairstyles and clothes, but she liked to keep her makeup natural and low-key.
“Thanks, Jordan, but I think I’ll stick to my regular look.”
Jordan slouched in her chair, disappointed. “But just think how fierce you’d look with a little cat-eye action!”
Lonnie was about to politely decline again when the little bell above the tea shop door jingled and in walked a Royal Post messenger. “Special delivery for Miss Lonnie from the Imperial Palace.”
“Oh!” Lonnie jumped out of her seat, spilling her tea all over the various plates of food on the table. “That’s me!” she cried, reaching for the envelope in the messenger’s outstretched hand.
She immediately knew it was the response she was waiting for. The envelope was a deep red color with the Imperial Council’s official gold seal in the top left corner. She could feel her hands shaking as soon as the letter was in her grasp.
This was it! She was finally getting her birthright! The sword of Shan-Yu would soon be hers!
She almost ripped it open right then and there, but she soon remembered where she was, and she glanced around to see her friends all watching her in confusion.
“What’s that?” Mal asked, tilting her head to try to read the gold seal on the front.
Lonnie quickly tucked the envelope under her arm. “Nothing. Um…just some…just a letter from my mom. I’m going to read it outside.”
She quickly darted for the door, barely even noticing Ally, who was now cleaning up the mess of spilled tea.
“Don’t worry,” Ally grumbled as Lonnie disappeared out the door. “I’ll get this.”
The moment Lonnie was alone outside, she wasted no time tearing open the envelope and pulling out its contents. Like all communication from the Imperial Council, the letter was beautifully written in thick black ink on silky cream paper.
Lonnie’s eyes hungrily devoured the words.
Thank you for your request to release the sword of Shan-Yu from the Hall of Wisdom. While the Imperial Council is impressed by your bravery and valiant efforts defeating villains on the Isle of the Lost, we do not believe you have yet proved your worthiness of the ancient relic. Therefore, we regret to inform you that we are denying your request for the sword.
It’s true what they say. Reading those words cut me to the core.
Lonnie stood motionless outside the Mad for Tea tea shop, staring at the letter in her hand.
This has to be a joke, she thought. The guys on the team are pranking me.
She figured Jay must have told everyone that she was waiting on this letter, and now they were tricking her. It was probably some kind of R.O.A.R. induction ritual.
The Imperial Council couldn’t possibly be turning her down.
But then again, what if it wasn’t a joke? What if they really were turning her down?
Lonnie reread the letter.
…we do not believe you have yet proved your worthiness of the ancient relic.
Lonnie’s shock quickly turned into anger.
They were saying she wasn’t worthy of the sword? That she didn’t deserve it? That she hadn’t earned it? Lonnie felt her teeth gritting as her grip around the letter tightened. There had to be something she could do. Maybe she should ask her mom or dad to talk to the council. Her parents were, after all, legends in the Imperial City. If her mom appealed to the council, they’d have to listen to her, wouldn’t they?
No. Lonnie immediately ruled out the idea. Her mother had earned that sword on her own. She hadn’t run to her parents for help. She had done it herself. And so would Lonnie.
A second later, Lonnie felt a slap on her back and turned to see Jay next to her. She started and quickly folded up the letter, attempting to stuff it into her pocket. But it was too late. Jay had already seen it. He’d evidently recognized the deep red color of the envelope and the gold seal.
“No way! Is this it?” he asked, swiping the letter right out of Lonnie’s hand. “What’d they say? When do you get the sword? Did they mention anything about me?”
Lonnie tried to snatch the letter back, but Jay’s reflexes were even better than hers. Every time she reached for it, he expertly moved his hand out of the way.
“What?” he bellowed after he finished reading. “They said no? That’s not fair! They can’t do that!” He crumpled up the letter and tossed it on the ground.
Lonnie sighed and bent down to pick it up. “Unfortunately, they can.”
“But the sword belongs to you!” Jay argued. “Your mother defeated a whole army to get it.”
Lonnie uncrumpled the paper and smoothed out the wrinkles agains
t her leg. “Well, technically, right now, the sword belongs to the Hall of Wisdom. Only the council can decide whether or not I’m worthy of it.” Lonnie’s head dropped in defeat. “And apparently I’m not.”
This seemed to get Jay even more riled up. His fists balled up at his sides. “Well, that’s a bunch of camel crud! Of course you’re worthy of it. You’re one of the best swordswomen in all of Auradon!”
Lonnie shrugged. “I guess the Imperial Council doesn’t think so.”
“Who is this Imperial Council anyway?”
“They’re a group of eight men and women who oversee all the official matters in the Imperial City.”
Jay snorted. “Well, they’re stupid.”
“Actually, they’re not,” Lonnie said with another sigh. “That’s the problem. They happen to be very wise. They report directly to the All-Knowing One, one of the wisest people in all of Auradon.”
“Maybe we can steal the sword,” Jay suggested. “Security is never that great in Auradon. And I happen to be a professional.”
This nearly made Lonnie laugh. “Jay, the answer to everything is not stealing. Besides, the Hall of Wisdom is guarded with an ancient magic. Even if we could find a way to get to the Imperial City, there’s no way we could—”
“Imperial City,” Jay interrupted, seemingly lost in thought. “Why does that sound so familiar?”
“Maybe because it’s where my parents live. Mulan and Shang. They happen to be pretty famous.”
Jay rubbed his chin pensively. “No, that’s not it.”
Lonnie finished smoothing the letter. She carefully refolded it and returned it to the red envelope. But just as she did, Jay grabbed it from her hand again. “Let me see that.” He roughly unfolded the letter and looked at the insignia on the top of the paper.
It was a picture of the famous pagoda tower in the center of the Imperial City.
“That’s it!” Jay exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like stolen jewels.
Lonnie glanced over his shoulder, trying to figure out what was getting him so worked up. “What’s it?”
“The Auradon Warrior Challenge!”
“Huh?”
Jay slapped his knee. “The Imperial City. That’s why I know it. It’s where they host the annual Auradon Warrior Challenge. The one on TV.”
“The show with the obstacle course?” Lonnie asked, still unsure of why Jay was bringing this up.
Jay scoffed. “It is so much more than just an obstacle course, Lonnie. It’s the ultimate battle of strength, stamina, and willpower. Carlos and I used to watch it on TV every year when we lived on the isle, and we dreamed of being able to compete in it someday.” Jay stopped and stifled a laugh with his hand. “Okay, well, I dreamed of being able to compete in it some day. Carlos just liked watching people fall.”
Lonnie flashed a polite smile and carefully removed the letter from Jay’s grasp again. “Okay, well, yeah. I guess the Imperial City is known for that too.”
“Wait a minute!” Jay said, getting excited again. “Isn’t the Auradon Warrior Challenge…” He trailed off midsentence and pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapping furiously on the screen. “It is! Yes! This is perfect! This will solve everything!” He punched the air with his fists.
Lonnie gaped at him. “What are you talking about?”
“The competition! It only happens once a year!”
Lonnie’s brow furrowed. “Yes, and…?”
“And…” Jay turned his phone around so Lonnie could see the screen. “It’s next weekend!”
Lonnie rolled her eyes and returned the letter to the envelope again. “Fine. Go. Compete in the Auradon Warrior Whatever. Fulfill your childhood dreams. Meanwhile, I have to find another sword for the induction ceremony.” She started to walk away, but Jay grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back.
“No, no, no,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t you get it?”
Lonnie gave him a blank look. “Get what?”
“The Auradon Warrior Challenge is not for me. It’s for you.”
“Excuse me?”
Jay pointed at something on the screen of his phone. He was on the challenge’s official website. Lonnie leaned in to read what it said:
Prove your worthiness in the most epic competition ever created!
Lonnie peered from the screen to Jay, who was looking extremely proud of himself. “You’re joking, right?” Lonnie asked.
“I wouldn’t joke about the AWC.” Jay’s expression turned serious. “You win this, and that council will have no choice but to give you the sword.”
Jay is crazy. I couldn’t possibly compete in a televised competition. Could I?
Later that night, as Lonnie was eating dessert in the banquet hall after dinner, she couldn’t stop thinking about her conversation with Jay. He wanted her to compete in the Auradon Warrior Challenge? She’d seen the show on TV a few times. It was broadcast all over Auradon, and apparently also on the Isle of the Lost. It was highly entertaining. Grown men and women climbing trembling walls, balancing on planks, and jumping over giant moving boulders.
Lonnie had to admit that winning the challenge would certainly get the council’s attention. There was no way they could say she wasn’t worthy if she won! The problem was, no one Lonnie’s age had ever won the competition.
“I’ll train you!” Jay had offered when she’d told him her concerns. “It’ll be fun!”
“The competition is in a week,” Lonnie had argued. “There’s no way I’ll be ready in time.”
“With me as your trainer, you will,” Jay had said. “I’ve seen every episode of that show at least five times. I know how the producers think. I know what kind of challenges there will be.”
Lonnie had always admired Jay’s confidence, but sometimes—like right at that moment—she thought he could be a little overconfident.
“What about finals?” Lonnie had asked. “The competition is the same weekend as the Study Lock-In, which means we’re supposed to be studying.”
Jay had waved this away as though studying were the last thing on his mind. And apparently it was. “We’ll study extra hard this week. Besides, you’re one of the smartest girls in the school. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Lonnie had opened her mouth to argue again, but Jay had instantly interrupted. “C’mon. It doesn’t hurt to try. What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing!” Lonnie had replied swiftly. But it must have been too swiftly, because Jay had given her a strange look.
“You are,” Jay had said, pointing at her. “You’re afraid of something. The Great and Powerful Lonnie is sca—”
“No, I’m not,” Lonnie had cut him off. “Just forget it.” And then, Lonnie had walked away.
But now, as she finished her dessert, she wondered if Jay had been right. Was she afraid of something?
“Lonnie, are you okay?” someone asked, interrupting her thoughts.
It was Evie. She and Mal were staring at Lonnie from across the table in the banquet hall.
“Of course I’m okay,” Lonnie said, grabbing the salt from the center of the table and sprinkling it over her bowl.
“Really?” Mal asked doubtfully. “Because you just put salt on your ice cream.”
“A lot of salt,” Evie added.
Lonnie looked down to see that her friends were right. Her strawberry ice cream was covered in tiny white crystals. She sighed. “Have you guys ever wanted something so badly, but it felt, um, like…impossible?”
Evie and Mal shared a look, and then both said at once, “Yes.”
Lonnie was taken aback by their definitive answer. “You have?”
Mal nodded. “Did you forget? We’re from the Isle of the Lost. A place that no one ever leaves. At least that’s what we were told growing up, and yet…”
“Here we are!” Evie finished the thought, giving her dark hair a toss.
Lonnie bit her lip, thinking about that. It was true. Until Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay had been admitted to Auradon Prep
by King Ben, she never in a million years thought she’d meet VKs (villain kids) in person, let alone become friends with them.
“And now,” Mal went on, “Ben is working on bringing even more VKs to Auradon Prep. Dizzy, Drizella’s daughter, is enrolling next semester, and if all goes well, more students will be enrolled soon.”
“So you see,” Evie said, “even the things that seem impossible oftentimes aren’t.”
“Exactly,” Mal said. “But why are we telling you this? You’re the ra-ra-go-get-’em-let’s-invade-the-Isle-of-the-Lost girl. If anyone knows anything about taking chances, it’s you.”
Lonnie perked up when she heard this. Mal was right. She was that girl. She’d never let anyone tell her no or “You can’t” or “Only boys allowed.” That was something she’d learned from her mom. You want something, you go after it. You don’t let anything stand in your way. Especially not an excuse like “It’s never been done before.” If her mom had listened to that advice, there would be no sword to begin with!
Lonnie stood up with sudden determination. “You know what? You’re right. Excuse me, I have something I need to do.” She started to leave, but then remembered the bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of her. “Oh, hey, do either of you guys want my dessert?”
Mal and Evie both glanced at the salted ice cream and grimaced.
“Uh, that’s okay,” Evie said. “But thanks!”
Lonnie shrugged and set off to find Jay.
The Auradon Warrior Challenge is in exactly one week, so Jay and I have to spend every waking moment either training for the competition or cramming for finals.
Being such an avid fan of the show, Jay was familiar with the way the AWC competition was set up. Day one was the elimination round where the competitors had to take on an obstacle course consisting of three extremely difficult challenges. The ten people who completed this obstacle course with the fastest times got to stay on and compete in the final competition on day two, which Jay said was always a big surprise, so it was virtually impossible to train for it.