Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

Princess Samantha and Princess Carrie grew up in a tiny country, northwest of the Doll Kingdom, and it was called Aldervia. Aldervia was a beautiful land, situated in a wide, grassy valley bordered by towering, snow-capped mountains. A waterfall that plummeted down the face of the eastern mountains became a broad shallow river that wound through the center of the valley. On the southern side of this river and at the base of the waterfall was the capitol city of Emerett, where Carrie and Samantha lived.

The two princesses could not remember their father and mother, because they had died when the two girls were very young. Their cousin Rodney was now the ruler of Aldervia. He was a little older than the princesses, so he had been given the throne when Carrie and Samantha's father had died, with the stipulation that he would hand the royal crown over to Samantha (who was the oldest of the two girls) as soon as she turned eighteen. Samantha and Carrie did not much care for their cousin Rodney. He was a sleepy, slovenly young man who frequently thought more about his dinner and the state of his clothes than he thought about his kingly duties. The sisters were, however, very attached to one another, and they loved their home in Emerett. They especially enjoyed taking long walks into the evergreen forest on the mountainside behind the royal house. They would often leave very early in the morning, taking a picnic lunch with them, and they would hike for hours up the side of the mountain. At lunchtime, they would find a rocky craig on which they could sit and view all of Aldervia spread out below them--green forests, wide fields of grass dotted with farmhouses, and the city of Emerett with its busy marketplace and the great royal house. Finally, the girls would begin the long walk home, arriving back at the royal house just as the fiery rim of the sun sank below the western mountains.

The morning after one of these hikes, Carrie and Samantha sat at the breakfast table, waiting impatiently for their cousin Rodney to come down for breakfast. It was well past nine, and they were very hungry, by the time he appeared at the top of the stairs. He was, as usual, impeccably dressed, but still bleary-eyed with sleep.

"Good morning, cousins," he said, as he slid into his place at the table.

"It is almost nine-thirty, Rodney," Carrie grumbled. "Whatever kept you so long?"

Rodney yawned. "Nine-thirty? My, but these clocks do get on fast. But don't blame me, my dears. T'was the fault of that dratted washing-woman. I had to try on three suits this morning before I found a proper one. The first had a wrinkle in the leg. The second was missing a button. A button! Can you imagine my anxiety when I almost came down to breakfast without a button on my sleeve?" He yawned again. "This means a trip to the tailor and all sorts of bother ... My dears! Do not touch the toast! I have just taken a bite, and it is intolerably cold!"

"It was warm when we put it on the table, Rodney," Samantha patiently explained. "But it got cold while we waited for you."

"Nonsense," Rodney replied. "The cook has deceived you, dear cousin. 'Tis a fact that toast does not grow cold in a mere hour's time. This is simply inexcusable. I must find us another cook."

Happily, at this point in the conversation, they were interrupted by a timid knock at the dining room door. The porter entered nervously, twisting his scarlet hat in his hands.

"Well?" Rodney demanded.

"Excuse me for the interruption, Sire," the porter mumbled hurriedly, "but King Darrell from Norland has arrived unexpectedly and is waiting at the gate."

Rodney rose indignantly. "Porter, how often have I warned you not to disrupt my breakfast with trifling matters?"

"B-but Sire," stammered the porter, "K-king Darrell ..."

Samantha intervened. "Show the king into the parlor," she said.

As the porter withdrew, she turned to Rodney. "Now, Rodney,"she said "You are king of Aldervia. It is your duty to greet visiting royalty."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Rodney sighed. "'Tis a tedious business, Sam, my dear, as you will discover when you are queen. Ruling a country can be dreadfully troublesome."

"Well, we will come with you," Carrie said soothingly. "It won't be so bad."

Samantha and Carrie remembered King Darrell well from a reception they had attended in Norland two years ago. He was a stout, jolly man, well loved by his subjects. He had a blonde, pretty daughter named Anna who had befriended Carrie during their visit to the Norland royal court.

As the three entered the parlor, however, a terrible sight met their eyes. It was King Darrell, but not at all as they remembered him. He was pale and had lost weight. His shoulders stooped with exhaustion. His clothing hung loosely about him, torn in some places, and stained with mud. His toes protruded from his shoes. They stared at him aghast. He looked up slowly.

"Greetings, Your Majesties." His voice, though tired, was as polite and courtly as ever, and he bowed deeply. "Many thanks for your hospitality in receiving me so unexpectedly."

Samantha tried to collect her thoughts and murmured a greeting, but Carrie burst out, "King Darrell, whatever has happened to you?"

The king shook his head sadly and sat down on the edge of the parlor sofa. "That is a very long and sad story," he replied. "Norland has been overthrown by Barbarians."

"You don't say!" exclaimed Rodney. "Well, Sire, if it is, as you say, a long story ... well, I have not had my breakfast yet, and I am not feeling up to talking quite now. Perhaps ..."

"What my cousin means," interrupted Samantha hastily, "is that you have just had a long journey and you must be hungry and tired. Perhaps you would like to rest and eat before we talk."

King Darrell nodded. Samantha took his arm sympathetically and led him upstairs to arrange a meal and show him to the guest room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Carrie turned to her cousin. "Oh, Rodney!" she exclaimed. "The poor king! This is a terrible shock!"

"I should say so, my dear," Rodney answered. "Imagine walking about in public with one's clothes in such a state! Very shocking indeed!"



The morning passed very tensely for Carrie and Samantha. Rodney disappeared into his office, as he often did when faced with an unpleasant situation. Samantha tried to read, and Carrie went out to tend her flower garden, but both were soon sitting back in the parlor, discussing the news of Norland's overthrow, while they waited for King Darrell to return.

At last, they heard footsteps on the stairs, and the king appeared in the doorway, bowing once again. He looked much better. Some of the weariness was gone from his face. He had bathed and was dressed in a new set of clothes that Samantha had laid out for him.

"Your Majesties!" he boomed in the voice they remembered well, "I thank you for the best respite I have had in weeks."

"You are very welcome, Sire," said Samantha, beckoning to him to sit down. "I will fetch my cousin so that we may talk of plans to assist your country."

"Ah, it is too late for that, little lady," the king replied sadly. "I have only come to warn you so that you may save your own country from those evil creatures, the Barbarians."

"Our country?" Carrie exclaimed, as Samantha hurried off to get Rodney. "Who are these Barbarians? Why do they want Aldervia?"

"The Barbarians are a race of female warriors," King Darrell answered. "They come from the nation of Barbaria, far to the south along the coast. These women fighters, often called Barbies, have subjugated the men of their tribe and forced them into slavery. These men are a race of tall, blonde, wimpy individuals, and they are all named 'Ken'. The women warriors have a strange obsession about clothes. They have long ago exhausted the resources of their own country on glittery, expensive dresses and jewelry. They have begun to wage war on other nations. Strangely, the Barbies fight mostly with their feet, on which they wear shoes with cruel spiked heels. They have conquered many nations in their never-ending quest for clothes ..."

"A quest for clothes, you say?" interrupted Rodney, who had just entered the room in time to hear the final sentence. "I'm on a bit of a quest of that sort myself, Sire. Can you believe that only this morning, I found a button missing from my .. uh ... my ..." He had suddenly noticed Carrie glaring at him. "Um ... er ... but, pray, do go on, Sire."

"The Barbies first laid siege to our border three weeks ago," continued King Darrell "Thousands of them, with the Kens following them and carrying their luggage. My army fought valiantly, but we were swiftly defeated. The Barbies overran our country. They forced all my subjects to cease their farming and work only on sewing clothes for them. They stole the crown jewels to make gaudy necklaces and earrings. They shaved our livestock to make cloth from the fur. When I protested, they cast me from the palace and forced my sweet daughter to become engaged to a ... to a ... Ken." The king's voice quavered and tears stood in his eyes. "It has only been a few weeks and already Norland is laid waste. We have no crops. Our animals are shivering. All my subjects are emigrating to other countries, and I am here to warn you of an impending invasion."

"Invasion!" Carrie and Samantha exclaimed together.

"The leader of the Barbies, a woman named Tiffany, took over the royal palace along with her chief advisor Prissy and several Kens that they brought along to do the housework. I overheard them talking in the hall the night before they threw me out of my home. They discussed plans to take over Aldervia as soon as all of Norland's resources are exhausted. I believe they will be here in a week's time."

"We must have a council of war," Samantha declared. "We must gather the advisors immediately."

Rodney shifted uneasily. "Yes, yes, a council. But do not be hasty, my dear. We have not had our lunch yet. And who can think of battle plans on an empty stomach?"

Next chapter: The Siege