by Nancy Krulik
“It’s that pin,” the dragon answered. “Princess Pulverizer must be under a spell. Come on, we have to go.”
“Where?” Lucas wondered.
“Wherever they’re going,” Dribble replied. “We have to keep an eye on the princess. And we have to figure out a way to stop this.”
Chapter 5
Princess Pulverizer hid quietly on a tree branch and watched as a tailor dropped a doublet into a vat of steaming red dye in the yard behind his shop.
The princess’s heart pounded quickly as she watched the man stir the short padded jacket around in the giant tub. This was her first task since becoming a knight of Starats. She wanted it to go smoothly.
“How’s that doublet coming, Alistair?” asked another tailor, who was busy dyeing a tunic a rich royal blue next door in his own yard.
“Not bad, Maddox,” Alistair replied. “I’m just going to leave it here to soak while I finish hemming a cloak for Lord Hucklebury. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Maddox returned to stirring his bucket of blue dye.
Princess Pulverizer was very impressed by the doublet Alistair was dyeing. From her perch in the tree, she could see the jacket had been made with great care. It would be a shame for it to be ruined.
Just then, the sun peeked out from behind a cloud. The bright light hit the opal brooch on Princess Pulverizer’s chest. The pink-and-blue stone shimmered, catching the princess’s eye. A dull look came over her.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a shame for the doublet to be ruined, after all.
The princess took a flying leap into Alistair’s yard. She landed silently, thanks to the ruby ring she wore. The ring had been a gift from the Queen of Shmergermeister. It gave whoever wore it the ability to move without making a sound.
Quickly Princess Pulverizer dumped a package of bright yellow saffron powder into the giant tub and then hid behind a tree.
A moment later, Alistair returned to his yard to check on the doublet sitting in the large vat of dye. He took one look and his face turned bright red.
“How could you do this?” he shouted at Maddox.
“Do what?” Maddox asked.
“Turn this dye from red to orange!” Alistair shouted.
“I did no such thing,” Maddox insisted.
“Well, it didn’t do it to itself.” Alistair pulled the doublet from the dye and hung it on the line. “Look at this. It’s bright orange. It’s supposed to be red.”
“It’s not my fault,” Maddox replied.
Angrily, Alistair dipped a clay cup into the orange dye. He stormed over to his neighbor’s yard and spilled the orange liquid into Maddox’s vat.
Maddox’s face turned purple. So did the dye in his vat.
“Look what you did to this tunic!” Maddox exclaimed.
Maddox pulled a gray-purple tunic from his vat and hung it on the line. “It’s ruined!” he cried out. “Even if I tried to add more blue dye, it would never be the right shade.”
Maddox went to his workbench, grabbed a glass of green dye, and splashed it on the orange doublet Alistair had hung on his line. “Take that!” Maddox shouted.
“Take this!” Alistair splashed pink dye on Maddox’s purple tunic.
Princess Pulverizer grinned as she watched the tailors splash color after color into each other’s yards. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Violet. What a mess.
Yes! This was going exactly the way Elle had intended when she’d given Princess Pulverizer her orders. The men were angry. Their friendship was ruined. And so were the clothes they had hoped to sell.
“You knew I needed to sell this doublet to fix the rain damage in my cottage. Thatched roofs don’t come free,” Alistair shouted angrily at Maddox.
“Well, it’s not like I’m rolling in silver coins,” Maddox argued back. “I needed to sell this tunic to buy food.”
For a moment, Princess Pulverizer felt terrible about the trouble she’d caused. But then, the sun shone directly on the opal pin. The blue-and-pink stone sparkled. And for some unknown reason, Princess Pulverizer no longer felt bad for the men at all. In fact, she let out a small giggle of delight.
“Did you just laugh at me?” Alistair demanded.
“No. You laughed at me,” Maddox insisted. “And there’s nothing funny about this. Where will I get the money to feed my children now?”
Princess Pulverizer grinned. She knew there was someone who could loan Maddox and Alistair all the silver they needed—Elle!
And once the wicked witch had loaned them the money, they would be in her debt. It was a heavy price, but one they’d surely pay.
Princess Pulverizer was about to leave and report her success to Elle when a woman with long dark hair strolled into the yard. Was it Elle? Or was it Anna?
The princess watched whichever witch it was wave her hands in the air. The blotches of colors on the doublet and the tunic began moving magically until they formed vibrant rainbow-shaped patterns on the cloth.
“Amazing,” Alistair exclaimed.
“Marvelous,” Maddox agreed.
A moment later, a nobleman in his carriage pulled up near the two tailor shops. He strutted into Maddox’s yard. “I am here for my blue tunic,” he announced.
Princess Pulverizer choked back a laugh. That nobleman was going to be angry.
Maddox gulped. “Well . . . you see . . . there was a bit of a problem with the dye, sir,” he stammered.
“Don’t be so modest,” the witch told Maddox. She smiled at the nobleman. “These two craftsmen have worked together to create unique fashions. Look at the rainbows of color they have created. There are no finer pieces of clothing anywhere in Starats.”
The nobleman studied the clothing hanging on the lines. “I will take them both.” He pulled out four gold coins. “And I will buy any other such outfits you two can create together.”
Princess Pulverizer couldn’t believe it. She’d followed Elle’s instructions exactly. Maddox and Alistair should have been at each other’s throats. Instead they were shaking hands, vowing to work as a team.
GRRR. Princess Pulverizer now knew for sure that the witch who had helped the tailors was that goody-goody, Anna. And she had ruined everything.
Chapter 6
“I don’t know why my sister has to spoil all my fun!” Elle complained later that afternoon. Princess Pulverizer had met up with her in the center of town with news of the failed task. “You need to watch out for Anna. If you see her nearby, wait until she leaves before you do your next knightly task.”
Something in Princess Pulverizer’s mind questioned whether the task she had been given could really be described as knightly. But as the sunlight bounced off the golden brooch on Princess Pulverizer’s chest, she caught a glimpse of the opal. Immediately, all her doubts and questions disappeared.
“I am your humble servant,” she said. “Let me do another job in your honor.”
“I’m in the mood for strawberries,” Elle replied with sinister grin. “Go to the farm by the fork in the road, and bring me the farmer’s latest crop.”
“His whole crop?” Princess Pulverizer asked.
“Every single berry,” Elle replied. “And do not offer him anything in return. I always take whatever I want. So shall you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Princess Pulverizer said.
“And remember what I told you,” Elle added. “Before you approach that farmer, make sure my sister is nowhere to be seen.”
* * *
Huff puff. Huff puff.
Princess Pulverizer panted heavily as she made her way up the last hill before the fork in the road. This knight thing sure wasn’t what she thought it would be. She had no horse to carry her. No suit of glorious armor. No shield with the crest of Starats emblazoned upon it. Nothing—except a little gold brooch.
Princess Pulverizer looked
down at the pin. The opal stone glimmered up at her. A dull look came over the princess as she picked up her pace. She could no longer think of anything but following Elle’s command.
As she approached the farm, Princess Pulverizer looked around for any sign of Anna. But there was nothing. Not even a footprint in the dirt. The coast was clear.
“I COME IN THE NAME OF ELLE!” the princess bellowed.
The farmer looked up, surprised. “What can I do for you, m’lady?” he asked Princess Pulverizer kindly.
“I’m not a lady. I’m a knight. And I have come for all your strawberries!”
“All of them? Wow!” the farmer said excitedly. “Give me a minute. It will take some time to add up the cost for so many bushels of berries.”
“I’m not paying you for them,” Princess Pulverizer said. “Elle never pays. And neither do I, her faithful knight.”
Just then Dribble and Lucas came huffing and puffing up the hill.
Princess Pulverizer stared at them. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Following you,” Lucas told her.
“We heard what you just said,” Dribble added angrily. “You can’t just take whatever you want. How is this farmer supposed to make a living if you steal his berries?”
“He can plant a different crop,” Princess Pulverizer said. “Something Elle doesn’t like as much as strawberries.”
“What crop?” the farmer asked her.
“Beets me.” Princess Pulverizer laughed.
“Why don’t you tell that joke to the cows?” Dribble scoffed. “They might find it a-moo-zing. But we don’t. There’s nothing funny about stealing.”
“I’d like to stay and chat, but I have to get these berries to my boss,” Princess Pulverizer said. She picked up ten large bushels of berries, each one stacked on top of the other. “These are heavy.”
“Please don’t take them all,” the farmer begged her.
Princess Pulverizer ignored the farmer’s pleas. Instead she began walking away, her knees buckling under the weight of the buckets of berries.
MEOW! Just then a black cat darted out into the road.
Uh-oh! The princess was well aware that if a black cat crossed your path, it meant bad luck. She didn’t need any of that.
Quickly, Princess Pulverizer turned to step out of the cat’s way. But as she did, she tripped over a rock and fell. The berries tumbled to the ground and landed in the mud. Many of them were squished underneath her.
“My berries!” the farmer exclaimed.
“Elle’s berries!” Princess Pulverizer shouted.
There was a gust of wind, and suddenly the cat was gone. In her place stood a woman with dark hair and a long green dress.
The princess gulped. Was this Anna or Elle?
The witch waved her hand in the air. Instantly, ten jars of sweet strawberry jam appeared where the spilled berries once had been.
The witch smiled kindly. “I just love strawberry jam, don’t you?” she asked. “You can sell these at market.”
“Thank you, Anna,” the farmer said.
The princess suspected the farmer was right. This witch, who had done a good deed, had to be Anna.
“As for you,” Anna scolded Princess Pulverizer. “Be gone. We have no use for evil here.”
“I’ll just take those jars and be on my way,” Princess Pulverizer replied. “I’m certain Elle will enjoy them.”
“You’ll have to plow through Lucas and me first,” Dribble warned her.
“You’ll have to get past me as well,” Anna added. “And I assure you, you don’t want to try that.”
The princess looked at her two former friends, the farmer, and the witch. No way could she fight the power of four. Slowly she turned and walked away.
Suddenly, Princess Pulverizer felt very alone. And afraid. Because there was no telling what Elle might do when she heard she had failed. Again.
Chapter 7
It sure is hot in here.
That was all Princess Pulverizer could think as she slipped into her very first suit of armor. The sun warmed the copper and steel, keeping all the heat inside. She’d only worn the suit a few minutes and already she was drenched in sweat. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like once she put the helmet on.
It wasn’t easy to walk in, either. Wearing a full suit of armor wasn’t anything like Princess Pulverizer had imagined.
But the princess didn’t dare complain. She was being careful not to anger Elle. The evil witch had been furious enough with her after the strawberry disaster. She’d even threatened to turn her into a newt! If Princess Pulverizer messed this up, there was no telling what Elle might do.
So instead, Princess Pulverizer sighed through her discomfort, glancing at the field where that day’s jousting competitions were going to take place and quietly asked, “Are you sure this is what armor is supposed to feel like? I can hardly move.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “Why do I work with amateurs?” she shouted angrily to no one in particular. “This is jousting armor, you fool. It’s much heavier than normal armor. I’d have had it made even heavier, but the armorer said the horse might collapse under the weight.”
Thank goodness for that armorer.
“Now, I have something special for you!” Elle sounded very excited. “A shield! With my personal crest.”
The witch handed Princess Pulverizer a large round shield, with a skeleton head carved in its center.
“That’s your crest?” Princess Pulverizer asked.
“I designed it myself,” Elle replied, smoothing the skirt of her blue-and-white-striped gown. “Isn’t it lovely?”
Lovely wasn’t exactly the word Princess Pulverizer was thinking of. Still, she answered, “Yes. It’s great. Thank you.”
Elle beamed. “I knew you would like it. Now come on. We have to head over to the center of the field so you can pick your lance. And you better choose well. Because there’s no way I . . . I mean you . . . are going to lose this joust. Do you understand?”
Princess Pulverizer nodded nervously.
As she followed Elle through the wooden gate and over to the center of the list field where the joust was to take place, the princess felt her heart pounding with excitement. She’d sat in the boxes with her father many times during jousting contests. But this was so much better. Soon she would hear the cheers of the crowd as she rode toward her opponent and broke her lance against his shield. Or even better, knocked him from his horse.
“You’re riding in this joust?”
Dribble’s voice knocked the daydream from Princess Pulverizer’s mind. She looked up and saw Dribble and Lucas standing beside a woman who looked just like Elle. Beside them was a tall man in shiny armor. He had a huge white-and-blue plume shooting out from his helmet.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Anna told Princess Pulverizer sweetly. She smoothed the skirt of her white-and-blue-striped gown. “It will be a fine match. My knight, Sir Stately, is a skilled rider.” She patted the knight on the back.
“I hope he’s a skilled loser, too,” Elle told her sister. “Because that’s what is going to happen to him.”
Now Princess Pulverizer understood why Elle had been so anxious for her to win this match. There was no way she wanted to lose to her sister—again.
The marshal walked over to Princess Pulverizer and Sir Stately. He held out a selection of lances. “Choose your weapons,” he said.
Princess Pulverizer immediately grabbed for the largest lance. But it was difficult to control because her hands were so small—she was just a kid after all. So she returned it, and grabbed a much smaller lance instead.
“Don’t choose that one,” Lucas warned her. “You’ll have to ride too close to Sir Stately to break it on his shield. It’s dangerous.”
Princess Pulverizer gave him a hau
ghty stare. “Have you ever been in a joust?”
“No,” he admitted. “I was always too scared to get up on a horse.”
Princess Pulverizer laughed in his face. “Then what do you know?”
“You sure have gotten mean,” Lucas said, his eyes filling with tears.
Princess Pulverizer felt a slight twinge of guilt. Lucas had been her friend. And he’d saved her more than once on her Quest of Kindness.
But that no longer mattered. She wasn’t on that quest any longer.
“Take your stations!” the marshal announced.
Princess Pulverizer walked across the field to her chocolate-brown stallion. She placed one leg in the stirrup and leaped up onto the horse, then waved to the crowd.
BOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Whoa! The princess hadn’t expected that. Why would the crowd boo her? They didn’t even know her.
Then again, they knew Elle was evil. And they knew that Princess Pulverizer worked for Elle. So clearly they figured Princess Pulverizer was evil, too.
Well, Princess Pulverizer would show them. They’d be cheering her soon enough. She had this joust in the bag. She’d been to more contests than this Sir Stately guy could ever imagine. Okay, she had been in the stands, but still . . . All she had to do was exactly what she’d seen other jousting knights do. Easy peasy.
“The rules are as follows,” the marshal announced to the crowd. “There will be three rounds. The knights receive one point for breaking their lance on their opponent’s shield, and two points for knocking their opponent to the ground.”
Princess Pulverizer smiled. She was going to knock Sir Stately right off his horse. Nothing less.
“Let the joust begin!” the marshal shouted.
“Giddyap!” Princess Pulverizer shouted as she kicked her horse with her heels.
Princess Pulverizer’s stallion took off, heading in Sir Stately’s direction.
