Beautiful, simply beautiful. Soon Ken will be married and the kingdom will have a king again." Katy said.
"I doubt it. Ken still refuses to be king unless he finds Christíana." Hide said.
"Oh poppycock! All that will change at tomorrow night's ball." Katy said.
"They're all coming to the ball!" Hide laughed. "Every princess is coming."
Katy squealed. "Oh goody, oh my. Oh, this is wonderful! You see, Hide. One of these is bound to change his mind.""Where is Ken? Oh never mind I know where he is, working on the mystery of the Fat Animal."
"The Great Animal, Your Highness." Hide said.
"Well, Big, Great. It's large and has fur." Katy said.
Xxx
"What did King Robert mean? It's not what it seems, of course! It's not what it seems! Now I'll find you, Christíana." Ken said.
"They're coming, Ken. Oh! Ken, where are you going?" Katy said.
"To find the Great Animal." Ken said.
"Oh, wonderful. Just make sure you're here tomorrow night." Katy said.
"Tomorrow night?" Ken asked.
"Uh. The ball." Katy said.
"Mother, I… I can't. Oh please, mother. If I leave now, maybe I can be back in time." Ken said.
Katy cheered. "Thank you, darling." She laughed.
"But please, mother, don't turn it into one of your beauty pageants." Ken said.
"Oh, no no no no no. It's just a few friends… And their daughters."
"I want this to be big. Every princess must have her own introduction." Katy whispered to Hide.
"But you said…" Hide said.
"Forget what I said. Now, send for the cooks and tell the band to start rehearsing! And I want four footmen for every carriage." Katy giggled. "Maybe five!"