Princess Rosalina could not sleep. When moonflowers began glowing along the castle balcony, she slipped from her bed to follow their shining trail.
The moonflowers led Princess Rosalina down a spiral stair and across the castle courtyard. Their silver petals pointed toward the old bell tower, where a soft song floated through the chilly air.
At the tower door, Princess Rosalina found no handle—only three moonflowers pressed into the stone. She touched the brightest bloom, and the heavy door clicked open.
Inside, the singing grew clearer. Princess Rosalina climbed past dusty ropes and discovered a little midnight-blue Moonbird caught in a rusty cage beneath the bell.
Princess Rosalina tried the latch, but it would not budge. Then she noticed a loose pin beside the hinge and used it to lift the rusty catch.
The cage sprang open, and Moonbird fluttered onto Princess Rosalina’s hand. Its silver bell chimed once, pointing toward the silent bell above them—and a fresh trail of moonflowers appeared on the stairs.
At the tower’s base, Princess Rosalina notices the moonflower trail curling around a loose stone. Beneath it rests a silver music note, warm from the singer’s song.
Princess Rosalina brushed the dust away and held the silver note to the moonlight. Tiny lines appeared across it, forming a picture of the silent bell and three shining stars.
Moonbird tapped the stars with its beak, then flew up the stairwell. Princess Rosalina followed and found three bell ropes tied in a knot, each marked with one of the same shining stars.
Princess Rosalina loosened the knot, but the bell stayed silent. Then Moonbird placed its tiny silver bell against the first rope, and Princess Rosalina touched the ropes in the order shown on the note.
The ropes pulled together with a deep, warm clang. The Moon Bell began to ring, and its sound sent silver ripples through every moonflower in the tower.
At dawn, Princess Rosalina stepped from the tower with Moonbird fluttering beside her. The castle bells chimed softly behind them, and a trail of moonflowers curled homeward as if the night itself were saying thank you.
