It was a normal Sunday morning in the German town of Heimat.

“Frederika, my dear,” said Mr. Adal Penzig. “Would you mind going to the newsagents and picking up my weekly newspapers, please?”

“OK, Dad.”

Frederika's stepmother, Carlotta, looked up from her breakfast. “Could you get some fresh bread and milk, too?”

“OK.”

Due to the distance between her house and the local shopping area, Frederika chose to ride her bike. It would make the travel time shorter. As she rode through the busy streets, she hummed a happy tune.

“Guten morgen, Mr. Netto,” Frederika called as she entered the newsagents.

“Ah! Guten morgen, Miss Penzig! Here to collect your father's newspapers?”

“Yes, please,” Frederika replied, taking a fresh loaf from the bread shelf and a bottle of milk from the fridge. “I'll take these too, please.”

Since the newspapers had already been paid for, only a small amount was needed to pay for the bread and milk. As Frederika rode home, she spied something unusual under a tree in one of the public parks: a stone archway sparkling with yellow, purple and orange lights.

“Strange,” Frederika said to herself. “Why would a stone archway be standing here in the middle of a public park?”

Frederika placed her bike on the grass under a tree before continuing to study the archway. She walked through the center of it and vanished…

   On the other side of the archway, Frederika found herself in a strange, bright and colourful world. Standing before her was a magnificent Palace.

“Where am I?”

Cautiously entering the unfamiliar building, Frederika could hear the babble of many voices.

“Hello? Can someone tell me where I am, please?”

The voices stopped. A nearby door opened and a teenage girl came out. “Hi! My name's Aveline. What's yours?”

“Frederika. Do you know where I am?”

“You're in Conterra. Don't worry, you're welcome here. You can help us with the wedding preparations if you like.”

“Oh, OK.”

Aveline led Frederika into the room where the Royal Family were making preparations for Princess Murasaki's marriage to Sir Carlin.

“May I introduce Their Royal Majesties, King Alaric, Queen Levana and their daughters.”

Frederika smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Your Majesties.”

Queen Levana took Frederika's hand. “Welcome to Conterra, my dear.”

“Thankyou, Your Majesty.”

The door opened again and a teenage boy came in. “Oh, hi.”

“Frederika, this is my brother, Olivier.”

“Hello.”

“Frederika, if you like, you and Patala can help the cooks prepare the wedding feast,” said King Alaric.

“Thankyou, Your Majesty, I'd be happy to help.”

However, before anyone could move, the door opened again, and Queen Levana's maid, Devaki, poked her head in. Loud growls and roars could be heard in the hallway behind her.

“Your Majesties, we have a big problem.”

     The group left the secluded room and were soon faced with twenty-eight massive dragons.

“Hesi rantrakic tepoha coanwor vessa! Petranas letoclo udoka ehtah astahi!”

Olivier frowned. He didn't quite understand dragon language. “What are they saying?”

Azura lay her hand on the leg of a Silver Firedrake. “Some of their eggs have been stolen. They want us to help find them.”

“Calm yourselves, noble dragons,” said King Alaric, “your lost eggs will be found.” He turned to Olivier and Aveline. “Dragon-Rangers, your mission is to find all the missing eggs and return them safely to their mothers.”

“Frederika, would you be prepared to become a Dragon-Ranger and assist Olivier and Aveline in the recovery of the missing eggs?”

“Of course!” Frederika answered.

“Very well then. Please repeat this verse: I pledge myself to King Alaric and his people. I turn my back on evil and join the fight to protect Conterra's dragons.”

Frederika repeated the verse and, within seconds, was dressed in her new metallic green Dragon-Ranger uniform.

Princess Xantha opened a hidden compartment in the Palace wall. She took out a small yellow book and gave it to Aveline.

“This handbook will tell you everything you need to know about the various species of dragons that inhabit our worlds.”

“Dragon-Rangers, your new mission has begun.”