The Legend of Knight Periwinkle van der Storm 

A Hero’s Journey to Virginia Beach

In the ancient kingdom of Stormhold, there was a knight unlike any other, Periwinkle van der Storm, the Guardian of Readiness. While other knights trained with swords and shields, Periwinkle mastered the art of preparation: knowing what to do before danger arrived. In Stormhold, this was considered the greatest skill a hero could have.

One evening, as lightning forked across the sky, Periwinkle studied the Storm Compass, a powerful relic that detected places in need of guidance. Normally, it glowed faintly. But tonight it flared with sharp, bright light, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Periwinkle leaned in.

“Somewhere is calling for help from across the ocean.”

The compass projected a swirling image: neighborhoods, beaches, and kids living their everyday lives — but also hurricanes, flooding and families unsure what to do when emergencies hit. The word beneath the image read: Virginia Beach.

Periwinkle strapped on armor and helmet and grabbed the Tactical Scrolls of Preparedness, and mounted the loyal steed, Thunderhoof.

“New quest,” Periwinkle said with a determined grin. “A kingdom that’s strong — and ready to get even stronger.”

In a flash of stormlight, Periwinkle and Thunderhoof were transported across realms and landed on soft, warm sand. They rose, brushed off, and looked around in awe. The waves crashed. The sun glinted off the water in all directions.

Kids walked along the Boardwalk and rode bikes along the Bike Path, in Town Center and their neighborhoods of Kempsville, Lynnhaven, Aragona, Great Neck and many more. It was lively, bright and full of energy.

But it was also clear that not everyone knew how to prepare for the unexpected.

Periwinkle saw backpacks with no emergency supplies, homes without plans, and people who'd never practiced what to do in a storm. Not from carelessness — but because no one had ever taught them.

“Well,” Periwinkle thought, “it’s time to get to work.”

Every day since then, Knight Periwinkle has traveled across Virginia Beach to visit schools, parks, clubs, community centers and more to help teach young people how to be ready for anything. Kids and families learn how to build an emergency kit, how to stay connected during storms, and how being prepared isn’t scary — it’s empowering.

Because true heroes don’t wait for danger to strike. They prepare, they plan, and they protect the people around them.

And that’s why Knight Periwinkle van der Storm came to Virginia Beach to help lead the next generation of heroes.