Read The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales Online

Authors: Gail Carson Levine

The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales (30 page)

BOOK: The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales

2.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

ads

King Harrumphrey frowned. Since the envoyâa duke!âhad chosen Robin, then the lad had truly become a prince. But seven years! Even if they turned around and came back as soon as they got there, the king still wouldn't see his Larkie for fourteen years.

He couldn't live for fourteen years without the sight of her. “Harrumph. Er, we admit that you are a prince, but can't you stay here? Can't those Briny Harrumphs do without you?”

“If I stay here, I'll just be a baker's son.”

“Father .Â .Â .”

King Harrumphrey looked at his daughter. She was half smiling. He knew what would turn that smile into a laugh. And he knew what would turn it into a frown and tears.

There had been enough tears. “No, you will not be a baker's harrumph. You will be a Harrumph Prince of Biddle.”

Lark and Robin hugged each other. They danced across the Royal Drawbridge and back again.

Robin was so happy, he decided to try out a joke on King Harrumphrey. He said, “Why does a king always seem glum?”

King Harrumphrey frowned. What was the fellow talking about?

Lark was thrilled. Now Father would see what Robin was really like. “Why?” she said.

“Because he's .Â .Â .” Robin sighed dramatically. “.Â .Â . a sire.”

The king stared. Then he got it. A sire. A sigh-er! He started laughing. “Har har harrumph.” It was the funniest joke he'd ever heard. “A harrumph-er!” This commoner-turned-prince would liven up the castle. “Har harrumph har. Harrumph har har.”

Lark preferred the yardstick-ruler joke. But if Father loved this one, that was all that mattered.

Epilogue

J
ake was as opposed to the match between Robin and Lark as King Harrumphrey had been. He said,

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
“I forbid the marriage with Princess Lark.

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
I would rather see the boy wed a barracuda.”

King Harrumphrey offered to elevate Jake to the rank of earl and to knight Nat and Matt, who had finally recovered from Ethelinda's spell.

The three of them refused to become nobles. However, Jake agreed to the wedding when the king named him Royal Chief Poet and named Nat and Matt Royal Co-Chief Dictionarians in charge of adding new words to Biddlish.

Robin and Lark were married within a week, and the whole population of Snettering-on-Snoakes was invited, even though every one of them was a commoner.

King Harrumphrey performed the wedding ceremony, although Lark and Robin weren't sure if the harrumphiage they were entering into was their marriage or their carriage.

Dame Cloris snored straight through the king's speech. Golly stayed awake. She sat next to the chandler and decided he was the man for her. If she couldn't boss him around, she'd boss Jenny the mule.

After the ceremony Robin told a joke:

“Why is a horse like a wedding?”

He waited, but not one of the guests could think of the answer, so he told them, “They both need a groom.”

Lark laughed and laughed. She felt so proud of Robin, the funniest prince in Biddle history.

Jake wasn't sure he got the joke. His own Horsteed had never had a groom in his life. But he smiled and waited for the laughter to subside, so he could recite a poem to Robin.

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
“I thought to maiden Golly you'd be wed,

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
But you married Princess Lark in place of her.”

Robin and Lark thanked Ethelinda over and over for her help. Their gratitude went a long way toward restoring her confidence, and she was certain she'd never make another mistake.

The party after the ceremony was held on the bank of Snoakes Stream. Robin and Lark waded right in and pulled courtiers and commoners in after them for a Royal Splashfest. The golden goose waddled in too and splashed and honked at everybody. Lark was in heaven, splashing dukes and counts, and having them splash her right back.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Harrumph!

Honk!

Back Ad

About the Author

Photo credit David Levine

GAIL CARSON LEVINE
grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first novel,
ELLA ENCHANTED
, was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include
FAIREST
, a
New York Times
bestseller,
Publishers Weekly
Best Book, and
School Library Journal
Best Book;
EVER
, a
New York Times
bestseller;
DAVE AT NIGHT
, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults;
THE WISH; THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE
; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book
WRITING MAGIC
:
Creating Stories That Fly,
the poetry collection
FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT
:
False Apology Poems
, and the picture books
BETSY WHO CRIED WOLF
and
BETSY RED HOODIE
, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail and her husband, David, live in a two-centuries-old farmhouse in New York's Hudson Valley. You can visit her online at www.gailcarsonlevine.com.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.

Books by Gail Carson Levine

THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE

THE WISH

BETSY WHO CRIED WOLF

WRITING MAGIC:
CREATING STORIES THAT FLY

FAIRY DUST AND THE QUEST FOR THE EGG

FAIRY HAVEN AND THE QUEST FOR THE WAND

Credits

Cover design by Hilary Zarycky

T
HE FAIRY'S RETURN AND OTHER PRINCESS TALES

The Fairy's Mistake

The Princess Test

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

For Biddle's Sake

The Fairy's Return

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006929894

ISBN 978-0-06-176898-9 (pbk.)

EPub Edition February 2014 ISBN 9780062253576

09 10 11 12 13
LP/CW
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Harper edition, 2009