Chapter 12

Chapter 12 "My jewels!" the Queen of Shmergermeister exclaimed as Princess Pulverizer handed her the velvet box. "Wherever did you find them?" "In an ogre's castle," Princess Pulverizer replied. "I got myself captured so I could

retrieve them for you." "You got yourself captured on purpose?" The queen sounded very surprised. Princess Pulverizer nodded. "It was the only way. Dribble and Lucas got themselves captured, too. Good thing, because it took all three of us to get out of there." "That was very brave," the queen said. Princess Pulverizer looked over at her friends. She wasn't completely sure, but she thought Lucas was standing a little taller all of a sudden. The Queen of Shmergermeister opened the velvet box and pulled out a large ruby ring. "This is a reward for your bravery," she said, handing the ring to Princess Pulverizer. "Thank you," Princess Pulverizer replied. "But I'm trying to be a knight. And knights don't wear rings." "They would if they knew about the ring's special powers," the queen said.

Special powers? Suddenly, the princess was very interested in the ruby ring. "What special powers?" she asked. "The person who wears this ring is able to walk with complete silence," the queen said. "Not even a dry leaf will crackle under her feet." "How would that be helpful?" Dribble asked. "Are you kidding?" Princess Pulverizer replied. "This ring will let us sneak up on our enemies. It gives us the element of surprise." "W-w-we have en-en-enemies?" Lucas stammered. "Sure," Princess Pulverizer told him. "All knights have enemies." Lucas frowned nervously. "I suspect you will be able to defeat them," the queen assured him. "You three are very powerful together." "The power of three." Princess Pulverizer smiled. "I like that."

"Now, please take this ring as a token of my gratitude," the Queen of Shmergermeister told Princess Pulverizer. "I insist." Princess Pulverizer took the ruby ring and slipped it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. The ring was a really lovely gift. And better still, it was proof that she had completed her first task in her Quest of Kindness.

But there were seven more such tasks to go. So... "We must be taking our leave," Princess Pulverizer said with a curtsy. "Hey, you do that really well," Dribble complimented her. "I've had a lot of practice," Princess Pulverizer told him. "Lady Frump made us do one hundred curtsies every day. I guess it came in handy after all." "Can't we stay awhile longer?" Lucas pleaded. "There are so many scary things out there in the world. I feel safer inside this castle." "You may stay as long as you like," the queen told him. But Princess Pulverizer wasn't staying put. There was too much to do. "Come on, you two," she said to Lucas and Dribble. "We have to go. There are a lot of people out there who need help. And we are just the ones to help them!"