By: Katie
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Alice and Ralf were two poor, medieval children who started working in the outskirts of London at dawn, and ended work at dusk. Their mother, Isabella, worked as hard as they did, that is, until she caught a fatal sickness. It seemed as if all there was to do was hope and pray. But when their precious family heirloom was stolen and only a note was left behind, all those tiny hopes and dreams were shattered. Earlier Ralf had suggested selling the heirloom to someone who would pay good money for it outside of London, but his mother wouldn't have it. The golden ring with a sparkling emerald placed carefully on top of it was passed down from generation to generation. She insisted it had to much sentimental value. Ralf protested that they could use the money to pay for medicine for her. She still wouldn't do it.
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| Alice watched, then hid her face that hadn't been washed and cried her beautiful hazel eyes out. She just couldn't bear to think of the woman she loved so much being taken away from her life forever. The same sickness that had claimed so may lives before had come upon their lonely cottage that her father had built. The same father died at sea two long and painful years ago. |
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That night Alice and Ralf made a plan to sneak away and use the clues from the note to lead them to where the thief was. They planned to set out that night. So, they crept out of their lonely cottage, and could only find their way by the faint light of the full moon and the twinkling stars in the midnight blue sky. In the days to come, they would face dangerous wildlife, cruel citizens, and fearsome obstacles. |
| One day, as they were walking through a meadow, the two "run a ways" decided that they should find a horse and ride it to their destination. They walked in silence for a while and then they were stuck. A huge pine forest was in their way. |
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They needed a horse to reach Scotland ( that was the place the note led to), but even Alice knew they couldn't walk through the forest "willy-nilly". Neither of them knew what was in the pine forest and neither of them wanted to find out. Ralf had heard stories about how you could find your way to a village by looking at which side moss grew on a rock. So, the two ventured onward, not knowing what they would find, in the forest. |
| They eventually found a small village, but they didn't know that this village was planning a rebellion against London. If anyone found out that they were from London, they wouldn't see their mother or priceless heirloom again. |
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| Alice and Ralf were starving. They needed something to eat or they would die of starvation. Their only option was to steal. Ralf tried to distract the citizens while Alice grabbed as much food as possible. They also had to steal a horse by telling the stable man that they were the kings servants and that he needed a horse in Scotland, it was hard to get the stable man to believe them, but it was the only way. |
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They managed to get all the supplies, but someone found out that they were from London and followed them. He had been watching them day and night and grew suspicious of them so he decided to investigate. |
| Ralf spotted him and warned Alice as fast as he could. They couldn't go through the steam they were passing without getting hypothermia. They urged their horse faster until Alice thought she saw a bridge. When they got there, it was only a fallen log, but it did quite well. The horse trotted through the water while Alice and Ralf rushed across the log. They were safe for now, and they had reached Scotland 's border. They were excited until they met someone unexpected. |
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| A lonely stranger was riding down the worn path and the children asked for his name. He answered and they were shocked! It was the same as their father's had been. They told him they were looking for a jewel thief. He then realized that these were his beloved children. Alice and Ralf didn't understand, their father had died at sea two years ago. But that had been a lie; the real story was that he had to go to Scotland on secret business from the king of England and couldn't come back to his family until it was safe to reveal the truth. England was declaring war on Scotland. |
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Together they saw a man with a jewel in his hand. It looked like their family's. They stole it back and let the man go. So, they rode happily down the path sharing stories of amazing adventures and heroes. When they arrived home, their mother was well and everyone was reunited. |
Last Updated: June 01, 2007
