The Peppermint Princess

by Helen Perelman

  Melli saw Dash hesitate. “We’ll get you some ice cream,” she said. “Maybe you want to speak to Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop.”

  Dash was grateful for the alone time with the princess and prince. She flew with them over to a quiet corner of the room.

  “I heard from my parents that you haven’t made a decision,” Prince Scoop said to Dash.

  Dash felt her face get warm and cherry red. “I was supposed to meet with your mother,” she said. “I am not sure what to tell her yet.”

  Princess Lolli took Dash’s hand. “What do you make of all this Peppermint princess business?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Dash said slowly. “Honestly, I feel a little funny about all of it.”

  “That is understandable,” Prince Scoop said. “It is not every day that you hear you might be the princess of a frozen land.”

  “A minty frozen land,” Princess Lolli added.

  They sat down in the throne room to talk more. Dash sat between the royal couple and felt her wings relax.

  “Everyone is very excited about this news,” she told them. “And I’m not sure how I feel.”

  Princess Lolli nodded. “You’ve been given a great surprise.” She smiled at Dash. “But a truly sweet-tacular surprise.”

  “You can help build up the mint ice cream and mint toppings here in Ice Cream Isles,” Prince Scoop said. “We always look for more minty flavors and toppings.”

  Dash liked the thought of creating new flavors and minty frozen treats. There were so many new things to try. Maybe being a mint princess was more than planning a party.

  “You know, Lolli doesn’t enjoy planning parties nearly as much as Sprinkle does,” Prince Scoop said, smiling.

  Princess Lolli laughed. “That is true!” she exclaimed. “Being a fairy princess is not always perfect, but you can make a difference and really help others.” She smiled. “But, Dash, if you decide to have a coronation, Sprinkle wouldn’t miss it!”

  “Everyone is excited,” Prince Scoop told Dash. “There has not been a coronation in Ice Cream Isles since my father received his crown as a young fairy.”

  “Wow,” Dash said. She was beginning to understand why this coronation was such a big deal. Dash took a moment to think. She thought about minty cool things she could do as princess. She could have a royal national race. She could make a special holiday for mint. She could really help some of the Mint Fairies and Ice Cream Fairies create candies and frozen treats. These things were starting to make sense to her . . . and make her excited. Then Dash thought of Frost, her family history, and her responsibilities.

  “I will be crowned the princess of Peppermint Kingdom,” Dash said, proud and strong.

  “Dash, you will make a perfect Peppermint princess,” Princess Lolli told her, giving her a hug. “Perfect in your own way.”

  The Candy Fairies returned with bowls of ice cream.

  When Cocoa saw Dash smiling and hugging the princess and prince, she perked up. “You decided to be crowned the Peppermint princess!” she cried.

  “Yes,” Dash said, giggling.

  “There is so much to be done!” Berry cried. “New dresses and all the details for the coronation!”

  Dash rolled her eyes. “Berry, relax. That isn’t the most important part of the coronation.” She looked over at Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop, who gave her a nod and a warm smile. “The crown doesn’t make the princess,” she said.

  “But the princess has to get the crown,” Berry added. “And that is a huge party!”

  Dash had a feeling that Raina, Berry, Cocoa, and Melli would be on the planning committee and make sure the party would be grand. Dash just had to hold on for the ride!

  Hidden Mint Home

  Dash was right about her friends being excited for the Peppermint princess coronation party. For the next few days her friends, and everyone else in the kingdom, were busy making plans and discussing dresses and decorations. The only thing that interested Dash was the menu for the party after the crowning. Never had she heard of such a minty lineup of candies and ice cream flavors! A Peppermint princess crowning meant lots of sweet mint treats.

  Dash kept busy by meeting with Mint Fairies who lived in Ice Cream Isles, and with Queen Swirl and Princess Lolli. Dash was interested in ideas about new mint candies and ice cream flavors.

  “Dash, you are a natural at this,” Queen Swirl said. “You listen and advise like you have always been a princess.”

  Dash looked at Princess Lolli. “I have watched and learned from the best,” she said. “I hope that I can rule like Princess Lolli.”

  “Thank you, sweet Dash,” Princess Lolli said, giving Dash a squeeze. “You are not alone. Peppermint Kingdom is part of Ice Cream Isles. So we will be here for you.”

  At Dash’s princess dress fittings, Berry and another fairy took her measurements. At each fitting Dash was just shown parts of the dress. She wasn’t sure how the final gown would look. Berry wanted it to be a surprise.

  Finally, the night before the coronation, Berry flew in with a large package. All the Candy Fairy friends gathered around in their room in the Ice Cream Palace. Berry opened the box and held up the dress.

  At the first sight of her very first princess gown, Dash gasped. “That’s mine?” she asked. “It’s so mint!”

  Berry was beaming. She held up the dress for Dash to see it better. “I hope you like it.”

  Dash flew over to Berry and flung her arms around her neck. “I love it!” she cried. The dress was made of beautiful cotton-candy-pink, green, and white. It looked like a fresh beautiful mint candy.

  “Try it on!” Cocoa said.

  Dash slipped the dress on. It fit perfectly! She twirled around, and the fluffy skirt fell gently around her legs.

  “You look scrumptious,” Melli said. “A true mint princess.”

  “Thank you, Berry.” Dash hugged her friend again. “This is the sweetest dress ever. I am very proud to wear it.”

  Berry blushed. “You deserve it,” she said. “And I also made these sugar-crystal hairpins for your hair.” She held open her hand for Dash to see.

  “Sugar-tastic!” Dash exclaimed.

  “Tomorrow is going to be a great day,” Raina said to Dash.

  “I think every fairy will be there to celebrate,” Melli said. “All the fairy kingdoms will be there.”

  There was silence in the room as Dash felt her face grow pale.

  “We’ll all be with you,” Cocoa said quickly. “It’s going to be choc-o-rific, you’ll see.”

  Dash took off her dress and hung it carefully on the hanger. She had a funny feeling in her stomach.

  “We should let you get some rest,” Cocoa said. “We have one more thing we need to do for tomorrow.” She nodded to the other three fairies.

  “Will you be all right here?” Melli asked.

  Dash flew into bed. “Yes,” she said. “Thank you for everything.”

  When her friends had left, Dash began to wonder how things would be different once the ceremony happened. Would she see her friends as much? Would she know the right things to say? And how to act?

  Dash stood in front of the window and looked out to the horizon. The sky was glittering with stars. But then she couldn’t believe what she saw and rubbed her eyes. Frost was flying toward her!

  Frost landed on the balcony outside Dash’s room. “Come with me,” the unicorn instructed.

  Dash flew out to her. “I really don’t have that much time,” she said. “But I am so happy to see you!” She gave the white unicorn a big hug. “I have so many questions for you.”

  Frost spread her wings, and Dash jumped onto her back. She held on to Frost’s long red-and-white mane. Higher and higher they flew, until the Ice Cream Palace looked like a small toy.

  “Where are we going?” Dash asked.

  “You’ll see,” Frost replied. The unicorn flew up to the top of Ice Cream Mountain, where Dash had been sledding. Only this time, they flew to the other s
ide of the mountain, where there were no trails.

  The smell of fresh mint was so strong and delicious! The large white moon gave plenty of light for Dash to see.

  “Is that mint frosting?” Dash asked. She looked at the beautiful heaps of white mint frosting layered on the mountainside.

  “Yes,” Frost replied. “And this was Queen Mintie’s favorite place in Peppermint Kingdom.”

  “Really?” Dash asked. “I can see why.” She flew off Frost’s back and looked around. “And it’s so close to the slopes!” she exclaimed.

  Frost threw her head back and laughed. “Just like Queen Mintie,” she said.

  Maybe racing and royalty had both been passed down to Dash from Queen Mintie.

  “There will be so many people at the coronation tomorrow,” Dash said. “I really don’t like crowds and people looking at me. Except when I’m racing. Then I don’t mind at all, because I am going so fast.”

  Frost nodded. “You will make so many fairies happy and proud,” she told Dash. “This is bigger than just you.”

  Dash hadn’t thought about the coronation in that way. She thought of all the Mint Fairies back in Sugar Valley and Ice Cream Isles.

  “This coronation is about more than just you getting a crown,” Frost told her. “It is about all the Mint Fairies having a princess.”

  Frost’s words were so helpful to Dash. Suddenly she didn’t mind all the crowds. “I need to get back so I can sleep,” she said. “I have a coronation tomorrow!”

  A Secret Mint Book

  The next morning, when Dash woke up, she saw her friends gathered around the table by the window. They must have gotten up very early, because they were already wearing their fancy dresses for the coronation. At first Dash was concerned that something might be wrong. They were all huddled together as if they were set on fixing a problem. But then she saw Cocoa smile.

  “Dash, you’re awake!” Cocoa said. She flew over to her. “We’ve been waiting for you to get up! You were asleep when we came in last night, and we wanted to let you sleep late.”

  “We have a special gift for you,” Raina told her. “Come over here so we can show you.”

  “You already did so much for me,” Dash said.

  Raina flew over to her and took her hand. “This is a special surprise!” she exclaimed.

  Still half asleep, Dash flew between Cocoa and Raina. Dash saw an old red-and-white leather book on the table. She bent over to get a closer look.

  “We found this in a pile of books from the Hall of Records,” Berry said. She handed the book to Dash.

  “We wanted to keep it a secret until today,” Cocoa said. “We thought this was the perfect coronation gift.”

  The book was very old, and Dash handled it with great care. She could tell her friends were bursting with excitement. When she opened the cover, Dash smelled a faint scent of mint. “How old is this?” she asked.

  “Read the first page,” Melli told her.

  “Luckily, this book is written in a language we can read,” Raina said, grinning. “I think Queen Mintie wanted to make sure her descendants could read it.”

  Inside, on the first page, was beautiful script writing. “Queen Mintie’s diary!” Dash said. She turned a few more pages. “Oh, this is the best gift ever!”

  “A good book is always a good idea,” Raina said. “Especially one that tells your family history.”

  “Queen Mintie wrote in this book when she planned to leave Ice Cream Isles and head to Sugar Valley to hide,” Cocoa told her.

  “So mint,” Dash said, sitting down to read the first entry. “It’s as if the queen is talking to me.” She looked up at her friends. “Thank you for finding this.”

  “Now you can hear the story in the queen’s own words,” Berry said.

  Raina put her hand on Dash’s shoulder. “Queen Mintie and King Leaf weren’t running away because they were scared. They were planning for the future of the Mint Fairies.”

  “They were hoping for someone like you to find this diary,” Cocoa said. “And we’re so proud of you. You are our Peppermint princess.”

  Dash burst into tears. Not because she was sad, but because she was so happy.

  “Tell her the best part!” Melli said.

  “There’s more?” Dash asked, wiping her eyes.

  “Yes,” Cocoa told her. “We found out that Queen Mintie was a small but speedy racer too. She had the Peppermint Castle built into the peppermint-frosted side of the mountain so she could race her sleds.”

  Berry flipped to a page near the end of the book. “And look, there is a picture of the castle.”

  “Buried under layers of frozen peppermint,” Cocoa added. “Just imagine all the hot cocoa it will take to melt that mint!”

  “And how sugar-tacular the frozen castle will be once it is fixed up,” Melli added.

  “I heard something about all that,” Dash said, looking out the window.

  “Look at these drawings,” Cocoa said, pointing to the pictures in the queen’s diary.

  Dash looked closely at the drawings. Peppermint Castle looked so beautiful.

  “There will be two more castles in Ice Cream Isles,” Melli said with a grin. “One for Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop, and one for the Peppermint princess.”

  Cocoa went to the window and pointed to the mountain. “You can be like Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop and have two homes,” she said. “One in Sugar Valley and one here.”

  “I know,” Dash said. She was getting more comfortable with the idea of living in both kingdoms. “I plan to have you all come and stay with me. Being in a castle alone is not nearly as fun as being there with your friends.”

  “Sure as sugar!” Berry shouted.

  “We aren’t going to say no to that invitation!” Cocoa said.

  “I know you will have the sweetest treats,” Melli said, giggling.

  “And a whole room of sleds!” Raina exclaimed.

  The bells in the large bell tower outside in the royal garden began to ring. It was the call to start the procession for the coronation at the palace.

  “We’d better get you ready,” Berry said.

  Dash slipped her new dress on and sat on the cotton candy pouf while Berry and Raina styled her hair. She was already feeling like a princess.

  “Oh, Dash,” Berry said. “You look good enough to eat!”

  Dash giggled. “Thank you,” she said. She peered into the mirror. “I love the peppermint clips. You both are the best.”

  “That is a sweet-tacular compliment, coming from a princess,” Berry said, smiling.

  “Now I have to wait for my ride.” Dash looked out the window, and sure enough, there was Frost. She landed on the balcony and waited for her princess.

  The five Candy Fairies stood in awe of the beautiful unicorn. Dash stepped forward and introduced her friends to Frost. She turned to them. “Please ride with me,” she said.

  “Are you sure?” Berry asked.

  “Sure as sugar,” Dash said. “I want you to be next to me during the whole ceremony. You are my royal set of friends.” She smiled. “You have beautiful new dresses too.”

  Raina, Berry, Cocoa, and Melli flew up and settled on Frost’s back.

  It was time for the Peppermint princess to make her entrance, with her royal friends at her side.

  The Hidden Crown

  From her palace window, Dash looked down at the crowds flying in for the coronation. She knew there would be many fairies coming to the event, but never did she imagine the tremendous crowd around the front gates.

  “Holy peppermint,” Dash said softly. Her heart was pounding so fast!

  “Wow! The gardens look so mint!” Cocoa exclaimed.

  Peppermint frosting and peppermint candies were spread across the front of the palace. Tiny green-and-white and red-and-white candies were hanging down on thin licorice threads. The palace looked like a frozen peppermint painting.

  “Wait until you see the inside of the ballroom,” Rai
na said. “That is what we were doing last night. It was so much fun, and the room looks minty fresh.”

  Dash took a deep breath. As she flew down to the ballroom she got a strong whiff of all the fresh mint. The calming scent of peppermint helped steady her nerves. That and gripping Cocoa’s hand!

  “Hello!” King Cone said. He and Queen Swirl were standing at the entrance to the throne room, next to the ballroom. “Today is the day! And you look beautiful.”

  “You look peppermint perfect,” Queen Swirl added. “Please come inside the throne room. We want to show you something.”

  Dash couldn’t take her eyes off the crowns on the king and queen. For the coronation they were wearing their fanciest crowns and outfits. Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop were there, also dressed in fancy royal crowns and clothes. Once they were inside the throne room, King Cone held up a long scepter.

  “This has been in our royal family for centuries,” the king proudly told her. He pointed to the ball on the top. “If you look closely, you will see sweet treats from each part of Sugar Valley and colors of every flavor of ice cream.”

  Dash stared at the bright candies and colors. She had never seen anything so bright and beautiful.

  “With this scepter I will be able to bestow the title of princess on you,” the king explained. “I will touch one shoulder and then the other.” The king gently touched Dash’s shoulders with the royal scepter. He nodded to the queen at his side.

  Queen Swirl was holding a box, and she gave it to Princess Lolli. The box was green and white with tiny mint swirl drawings. It looked very old and dusty. “What’s inside?” Dash wondered.

  “This is the Peppermint crown that has been hidden for many years,” Princess Lolli told her. “This crown was put away here when it was too dangerous to rule. But it is time this crown is placed on a Peppermint princess and the reign of the Peppermint Kingdom continues.”

  Dash’s eyes widened as Lolli lifted the crown out of the box. She couldn’t believe the crown was for her. She had a hard time believing all of this was for her!