The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales Read Free Page A

with an embroidered bodice and a lace train.
    She was in such a good mood, she even bought a gown for her mother.
    The fairy Ethelinda was furious.
    At the end of the betrothal ceremony, the First Chancellor placed a golden tiara on Rosella’s head. She wondered if she was a princess yet, or still just a princess-to-be.
    â€œSome people want to meet you, honey,” Harold said.
    After a Royal Engagement, the kingdom’s loyal subjects were always allowed into the palace to meet their future princess.
    The Royal Guards opened the huge wooden doors to the great hall. Rosella saw a line that stretched for three quarters of a mile outside the palace. Everyone in it had something to catch the jewels as they cascaded out of her mouth. Pessimists brought thimbles and egg cups. Optimists brought sacks and pillowcases and lobster pots.
    The first subject Rosella met was a farmer. “How are you?” he said.
    â€œFine.” A ruby chip fell into his pail.
    That was all? His shoulders slumped.
    Rosella took pity on him. She said, “Actually, my throat hurts, and this crown is giving me a headache.”
    He grinned as stones clattered against the bottom of his pail. Rosella asked him what he planned to do with the jewels.
    â€œMy old plow is worn out,” he said. “I need a new one.”
    â€œDo you have enough now?” she said.
    â€œOh yes, Your Princess-ship. Thank you.” He bowed and shook her hand.
    Next in line was a woman whose skirt and blouse were as ragged as Rosella’s had been yesterday. The woman wanted to buy a warm coat for the winter. Something about her made Rosella want to give her diamonds.
    Rosella said, “Make sure your new coat is lined with fur. I think beaver is best.” Diamond, she thought. Diamond, diamond.
    But only one diamond came out, along with a topaz, some aquamarine stones, and some garnets. Thinking the name of the jewel didn’t seem to make much difference. Anyway, the woman caught the stones in a threadbare sack and left happy.
    A shoemaker came next, carrying a boot to catch the jewels. “What’s your favorite flower?” he asked.
    â€œLilacs and carnations and daffodils.” Rosella sang, wondering if singing would affect what came out—a diamond, a ruby, and a turquoise on the large side.
    The shoemaker said he had been too poor to buy leather to make any more shoes. “But now,” he said, “I can buy enough to fill my shop window.”
    Rosella smiled. “And peonies and poppies and black-eyed Susans and marigolds and—”
    She was starting to get the hang of it. Long vowels usually made precious jewels, while short vowels often made semiprecious stones. The softer she spoke, the smaller the jewels, and the louder the bigger. It really was a good thing she hadn’t screamed at her Royal Ladies-in-Waiting.
    â€œThat’s enough. Don’t use them all up on me.”
    Rosella wished Harold would listen to this shoemaker. He could learn something.
    Even though her throat hurt, she enjoyed talking to everybody. She liked her subjects! But why were so many of them poor?
    Next was a boy who asked her to tell him a story. She made up a fable about a talkative parrot who lived with a deaf mouse. The boy listened and laughed in all the right places, and caught the jewels in his cap.
    She smiled bravely and said hello to the next subject. Her throat hurt terribly.

Seven
    T he widow Pickering loved her new gown. She tried it on while Myrtle tried on her own new gown. The widow told Myrtle that she looked fantastic. Myrtle wrote that the new gown made her mother look twenty years younger.
    They took off the gowns and hung them up so they wouldn’t wrinkle. Then Myrtle went out into the yard to experiment. She hummed softly. A line of ants pushed between her lips. She hummed louder, and the ants got bigger. Even louder, and the ants got even bigger. She’d had no idea there were such big ants.