Princess Serenity was a little girl in the bright Kingdom. She wore a soft pink cape and tiny silver shoes. Every morning, she waved at the round sun.
“Hello, sun!” she said.
One morning, the Kingdom looked strange. The castle flags were gray. The flower boxes were gray. Even the ducks in the pond said, “Quack... gray.”
Princess Serenity felt sad. But she was kind and brave.
At the castle gate sat Oracle, a small old owl with a blue hat. Oracle had big gold eyes and a gentle voice.
“Who took the colors?” asked Serenity.
Oracle flapped one wing. “Crystal Guardian has them. He guards the Rainbow Crystal in the Crystal Hill.”
“Is he mean?” asked Serenity.
“Maybe he is worried,” said Oracle. “Sometimes worried hearts say, ‘No!’”
Princess Serenity nodded. “I will go. I will use kind words.”
Oracle hopped onto her shoulder. “Hoot! I will come too.”
They walked through the Kingdom. Step, step, step. Serenity saw a gray bunny under a gray bush.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
The bunny sniffed. “My red carrot is gray.”
Princess Serenity gave the bunny a little hug. “We will bring colors back.”
Soon they reached the Crystal Hill. It sparkled, but not with happy colors. It sparkled with cold white light. At the top stood Crystal Guardian.
He was very tall. He had crystal boots. Clink. Clink. He had crystal hands. Shimmer. Shimmer. In his hands was the Rainbow Crystal.
“Stop!” boomed Crystal Guardian. “No one may have the colors!”
Princess Serenity’s knees felt wobbly. Wobble, wobble. But she took one small breath.
“Hello,” she said.
Crystal Guardian blinked. “Hello?”
“Yes,” said Serenity. “Why are you holding the colors?”
“I found the Rainbow Crystal,” said the Guardian. “It was so pretty. I feared someone would break it. So I hid every color inside it. Now it is safe.”
Oracle gave a quiet hoot. “But the Kingdom is sad.”
Crystal Guardian looked down the hill. He saw gray trees. Gray roofs. Gray ducks. He saw the little bunny holding a gray carrot.
“Oh,” he whispered. “I did not want them to be sad.”
Princess Serenity smiled. “You wanted to help. We can help together.”
The Guardian held the crystal close. “But what if it breaks?”
Serenity had an idea. She was a clever little princess.
“Let us make a safe home for it,” she said. “A rainbow box, with soft clouds inside.”
Oracle clapped his wings. “A splendid plan!”
Crystal Guardian smiled for the first time. His smile made a tiny ping sound.
Together they went back to the castle. The bunny brought a green leaf. The ducks brought blue pond pebbles. Oracle brought a golden feather. Princess Serenity brought her pink cape ribbon.
They made a beautiful Rainbow Box. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Inside, Princess Serenity placed soft white clouds from the morning sky.
“Ready?” asked Serenity.
Crystal Guardian put the Rainbow Crystal into the box. Very gently. Plop.
Then he opened his crystal hands.
Whoosh!
Red flew to the carrots. Orange flew to the pumpkins. Yellow flew to the sunflowers. Green danced over the grass. Blue splashed into the pond. Purple twirled around the castle towers.
The Kingdom became bright again.
“Quack, quack, color!” cheered the ducks.
The bunny nibbled his red carrot. “Crunchy!”
Crystal Guardian looked at the happy Kingdom. A warm rainbow glow shone in his crystal chest.
“I can guard the Rainbow Box,” he said. “And I can share the colors.”
“You can be our Color Guardian,” said Princess Serenity.
The people clapped. Clap, clap, clap.
Oracle placed a small crown on Serenity’s head. It had one shiny rainbow jewel.
“For Princess Serenity,” said Oracle, “the Kind and Brave Helper.”
Serenity touched the jewel. It glowed in every color.
That evening, Crystal Guardian made rainbow lights dance over the castle. Oracle sang, “Hoot-hooray!” The bunny ate carrot cake. The ducks danced in the blue pond.
Princess Serenity smiled at her friends.
“Colors are best when we share,” she said.
And in the bright Kingdom, everyone said, “Yes!”
Then they danced. Step, step, twirl. Step, step, twirl. Under the soft, colorful sky.