Hey all! I feel like I haven't updated in forever but I know I update much
more frequently then others. I'm going to make my request again: if you
know how I might change it so I can accept anonymous reviews, I would much
appreciate your sharing it with me! LOL! Thanks!
Chapter 7: Peasants for a Day
Katie glanced at the Prince and burst into laughter. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing." The Prince raised his eyebrows. "Well, do you really expect to pass off as a peasant wearing THAT?"
The Prince looked down at his clothes. "These are the plainest clothes I have!" He wore a loose, lavender silk shirt, tight black pants, boots, and a strange cape. "And you! Everyone in the royal city will recognize the royal servants' attire!"
"Come with me." After a short stop at Katie's room, where she changed into her old brown rags, Katie led the Prince to a room she had found on the third floor, full of old clothes, from peasants to middle-class to nobility to royalty. Katie left the room while he changed into the peasants' attire she had for him - breeches, old boots, a smock, vest, and hat, all too big for him. He had to use a braided rope as a belt to keep the pants on.
"Now," Katie said once they were dressed and headed for the city, "we need names. You can't be known as Your Majesty, Prince Kenneth. And even though no one will know me, I probably shouldn't be known as Katie. You shall be. Timothy. And I'll be Maggie."
"Timothy? Maggie?" The Prince raised his eyebrows and wrinkled his nose. "What kind of names are those?"
"They were my mother and father's names."
"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry, I -"
"It's fine."
They finished their walk to the village in silence. But once there, they held onto each other's hands for dear life-the streets were crowded, it had never been this crowded in Shon. Katie transferred five copper coins into the Prince's pocket, keeping five for herself.
"This is the money we use today. No more, no less. Although we can sell our shoes. or your hat."
The Prince chuckled. Then he shivered. "My, it's cold. Why don't we return to the palace and get a cloak?"
"Peasants can't return to the palace and get a cloak, so we won't. We need to save our money for food."
"Ah, yes. I'm starving."
Katie bought some bread with three of her coins and they split it between them-not enough to fill either one of them. Using two of the Prince's coins, they bought four handfuls of strawberries. They decided it would have to be enough; they couldn't use all ten coins in the first hour they were there.
They found a small alley between the sweet smells of the bakery and the loud clanks of the blacksmith. It was a little wet from the rain the night before, but it would have to do.
Using Katie's skirt as a table, they ate the strawberries quickly. They were still hungry, but they remembered their earlier vow and bought no more food.
As they were sitting and eating the strawberries, a huge cart barreled by, throwing water in both directions at the people on the street - and soaking Katie and the Prince through and through.
They were quickly swept up with the crowd and eventually shoved into a glass blower's shop. They gazed in amazement at the beautiful creations- tiny windows, little figurines, and glass goblets.
Noon came and the Prince announced he was starving again. They reached for their money and discovered someone had stolen it from them when they were moving with the crowd.
"What'll we do?" the Prince moaned. "We can't starve!"
"No, so we'll have to steal."
"STEAL? It's against the law, Katie, I -"
"I'm Maggie, remember? And it's either steal or starve."
"Now I see why peasants argue to being hanged for stealing. All right, lets steal. But steal what?"
"Food, of course." Katie and the Prince passed by an apple stand. Katie accidentally knocked several apples from the stand. She cried out her apology and stooped to help the young boy watching the cart clear the apples from the street. He thanked her for helping him and watched them go.
As soon as they were out of ear- and eyeshot, Katie tossed the Prince an apple, taking a big bite from her own.
"What? How did you do that?"
"I'm clever." Katie grinned and took another bite.
Before long, they came to a vegetable stand. They decided Katie would knock some lettuce heads from the stand and the Prince would steal some celery and carrots. It would be trickier this time, as there were two girls watching it, rather than one boy.
Katie passed by the lettuce heads, as planned, and knocked some over, as planned. She and the two girls stooped to pick them up and the Prince tucked carrots, celery, and even a lettuce heads into various spots in his clothes. The elder of the watching girls rose as he tucked the lettuce head into his hat.
"Thief!" screamed the girl. The Prince turned and took off through the crowd, carrots and celery dropping from his clothes. The girl took after him, shouting for the younger girl to hold Katie.
A chase emerged - the baker, the blacksmith, the silversmith, the fruit boy, the vegetable girl, and a few others who occupations the Prince couldn't name were all after him - and the glass blower caught him.
Katie and the Prince were to be hanged at three o'clock.
The world seemed to spin on its heel around Katie and the Prince, standing on the stools with the nooses around their necks. The vegetable girls and the fruit boy were right up front. People yelled and bickered and threw tomatoes.
"Well, this is it." Katie looked at the Prince, worried.
"Yes it is, Maggie."
"Oh Timothy! My mother and father are dead! I'm the last of my family and now I'll be dead before I can make it go on! My family tree has ended!"
"What of your stepmother?"
"My wicked stepmother," Katie corrected. "She doesn't count. She's my STEPmother, she never produced an heir to my father."
"I see."
A man cloaked in black stepped up on the platform.
And a blond girl with violet eyes appeared, hovering above them. The crowd fell silent, awed by a real fairy before their eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Alisa's high voice was loud and booming, magicked so everyone could hear. "Would you ever kill the King?"
"No!" the crowd chorused.
"The Queen?"
"No!"
"The Prince?"
"No!"
"Then why do you?" Murmurs from the city people. "That's right! The lad before you about to be hanged is none other than His Majesty, Prince Kenneth!" The crowd gasped and slowly, everyone made a bow. "And the lass with him is Lady Margaret, a visiting friend of the cousin of the Prince, Lady Jane!" More murmurs. "I ask that you let them go!"
The cloaked man hurried over and took the nooses from their heads. They stepped down from the stools.
"Thank you, Alisa, thank you so much!" Katie wanted to hug her, but knew she would crush her since she was so small.
With a smile from Alisa and a whoosh of her wand, Katie and the Prince were back at the palace.
And the Prince helped walk the dogs every day.
END CHAPTER 7
Review, review, review!
Chapter 7: Peasants for a Day
Katie glanced at the Prince and burst into laughter. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing." The Prince raised his eyebrows. "Well, do you really expect to pass off as a peasant wearing THAT?"
The Prince looked down at his clothes. "These are the plainest clothes I have!" He wore a loose, lavender silk shirt, tight black pants, boots, and a strange cape. "And you! Everyone in the royal city will recognize the royal servants' attire!"
"Come with me." After a short stop at Katie's room, where she changed into her old brown rags, Katie led the Prince to a room she had found on the third floor, full of old clothes, from peasants to middle-class to nobility to royalty. Katie left the room while he changed into the peasants' attire she had for him - breeches, old boots, a smock, vest, and hat, all too big for him. He had to use a braided rope as a belt to keep the pants on.
"Now," Katie said once they were dressed and headed for the city, "we need names. You can't be known as Your Majesty, Prince Kenneth. And even though no one will know me, I probably shouldn't be known as Katie. You shall be. Timothy. And I'll be Maggie."
"Timothy? Maggie?" The Prince raised his eyebrows and wrinkled his nose. "What kind of names are those?"
"They were my mother and father's names."
"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry, I -"
"It's fine."
They finished their walk to the village in silence. But once there, they held onto each other's hands for dear life-the streets were crowded, it had never been this crowded in Shon. Katie transferred five copper coins into the Prince's pocket, keeping five for herself.
"This is the money we use today. No more, no less. Although we can sell our shoes. or your hat."
The Prince chuckled. Then he shivered. "My, it's cold. Why don't we return to the palace and get a cloak?"
"Peasants can't return to the palace and get a cloak, so we won't. We need to save our money for food."
"Ah, yes. I'm starving."
Katie bought some bread with three of her coins and they split it between them-not enough to fill either one of them. Using two of the Prince's coins, they bought four handfuls of strawberries. They decided it would have to be enough; they couldn't use all ten coins in the first hour they were there.
They found a small alley between the sweet smells of the bakery and the loud clanks of the blacksmith. It was a little wet from the rain the night before, but it would have to do.
Using Katie's skirt as a table, they ate the strawberries quickly. They were still hungry, but they remembered their earlier vow and bought no more food.
As they were sitting and eating the strawberries, a huge cart barreled by, throwing water in both directions at the people on the street - and soaking Katie and the Prince through and through.
They were quickly swept up with the crowd and eventually shoved into a glass blower's shop. They gazed in amazement at the beautiful creations- tiny windows, little figurines, and glass goblets.
Noon came and the Prince announced he was starving again. They reached for their money and discovered someone had stolen it from them when they were moving with the crowd.
"What'll we do?" the Prince moaned. "We can't starve!"
"No, so we'll have to steal."
"STEAL? It's against the law, Katie, I -"
"I'm Maggie, remember? And it's either steal or starve."
"Now I see why peasants argue to being hanged for stealing. All right, lets steal. But steal what?"
"Food, of course." Katie and the Prince passed by an apple stand. Katie accidentally knocked several apples from the stand. She cried out her apology and stooped to help the young boy watching the cart clear the apples from the street. He thanked her for helping him and watched them go.
As soon as they were out of ear- and eyeshot, Katie tossed the Prince an apple, taking a big bite from her own.
"What? How did you do that?"
"I'm clever." Katie grinned and took another bite.
Before long, they came to a vegetable stand. They decided Katie would knock some lettuce heads from the stand and the Prince would steal some celery and carrots. It would be trickier this time, as there were two girls watching it, rather than one boy.
Katie passed by the lettuce heads, as planned, and knocked some over, as planned. She and the two girls stooped to pick them up and the Prince tucked carrots, celery, and even a lettuce heads into various spots in his clothes. The elder of the watching girls rose as he tucked the lettuce head into his hat.
"Thief!" screamed the girl. The Prince turned and took off through the crowd, carrots and celery dropping from his clothes. The girl took after him, shouting for the younger girl to hold Katie.
A chase emerged - the baker, the blacksmith, the silversmith, the fruit boy, the vegetable girl, and a few others who occupations the Prince couldn't name were all after him - and the glass blower caught him.
Katie and the Prince were to be hanged at three o'clock.
The world seemed to spin on its heel around Katie and the Prince, standing on the stools with the nooses around their necks. The vegetable girls and the fruit boy were right up front. People yelled and bickered and threw tomatoes.
"Well, this is it." Katie looked at the Prince, worried.
"Yes it is, Maggie."
"Oh Timothy! My mother and father are dead! I'm the last of my family and now I'll be dead before I can make it go on! My family tree has ended!"
"What of your stepmother?"
"My wicked stepmother," Katie corrected. "She doesn't count. She's my STEPmother, she never produced an heir to my father."
"I see."
A man cloaked in black stepped up on the platform.
And a blond girl with violet eyes appeared, hovering above them. The crowd fell silent, awed by a real fairy before their eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Alisa's high voice was loud and booming, magicked so everyone could hear. "Would you ever kill the King?"
"No!" the crowd chorused.
"The Queen?"
"No!"
"The Prince?"
"No!"
"Then why do you?" Murmurs from the city people. "That's right! The lad before you about to be hanged is none other than His Majesty, Prince Kenneth!" The crowd gasped and slowly, everyone made a bow. "And the lass with him is Lady Margaret, a visiting friend of the cousin of the Prince, Lady Jane!" More murmurs. "I ask that you let them go!"
The cloaked man hurried over and took the nooses from their heads. They stepped down from the stools.
"Thank you, Alisa, thank you so much!" Katie wanted to hug her, but knew she would crush her since she was so small.
With a smile from Alisa and a whoosh of her wand, Katie and the Prince were back at the palace.
And the Prince helped walk the dogs every day.
END CHAPTER 7
Review, review, review!
