There was also the problem of Harriet’s mother and Wilbur. The queen had accepted, somewhat reluctantly, that Prince Cecil had not saved the day (possibly because he’d still been asleep when she woke up), so instead she had glommed onto Wilbur.
Still, it was very difficult to tell the queen anything she didn’t want to hear. Harriet had apparently inherited her stubbornness from her mother.
“You have to marry the prince that saved you!” the queen said. “Otherwise why would princes save anybody?”
“Because they’re decent people,” grumbled Harriet.
The king had already given Wilbur a large cash reward for his services, which Wilbur had dutifully sent back home to help fix up his mother’s castle, but the hamster queen couldn’t seem to get past the fact that Wilbur was a prince, and princesses married princes, and that was just the way the world worked.
She’d also started talking about deportment lessons again.
“Keep it quiet,” Harriet told Mumfrey as she saddled him up. “I’m getting out of here before someone tries to balance a book on my head. I hear there’s an ogre up in North Hamworth that hasn’t converted to vegetarianism yet.”
“Qwerk,” said Mumfrey very quietly.
What are you doing here? . . WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? “Escaping!” said Wilbur. “Your mom scares me! I meant to go back home right away, but she kept insisting I stay longer!”
“Tell me about it,” said Harriet. She swung up onto Mumfrey’s back. Heady hissed at them in a friendly fashion. The hydra was loaded with pillows.
They slipped out of the stableyard and onto the road. Wilbur fiddled with the reins.
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Ursula Vernon (www.ursulavernon.com) is an award-winning author and illustrator whose work has won a Hugo Award and been nominated for an Eisner. She loves birding, gardening, and spunky heroines. She is the first to admit that she would make a terrible princess.
Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
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