Chapter 6

Chapter 6 "I don't know why my sister has to spoil all my fun!" Elle complained later that afternoon. Princess Pulverizer had met up with her in the center of town with news of the failed task. "You need to watch out for Anna. If you see her nearby, wait until she leaves before you do your next knightly task."

Something in Princess Pulverizer's mind questioned whether the task she had been given could really be described as knightly. But as the sunlight bounced off the golden brooch on Princess Pulverizer's chest, she caught a glimpse of the opal. Immediately, all her doubts and questions disappeared. "I am your humble servant," she said. "Let me do another job in your honor." "I'm in the mood for strawberries," Elle replied with sinister grin. "Go to the farm by the fork in the road, and bring me the farmer's latest crop." "His whole crop?" Princess Pulverizer asked. "Every single berry," Elle replied. "And do not offer him anything in return. I always take whatever I want. So shall you." "Yes, ma'am," Princess Pulverizer said. "And remember what I told you," Elle added. "Before you approach that farmer, make sure my sister is nowhere to be seen."

Huff puff. Huff puff. Princess Pulverizer panted heavily as she made her way up the last hill before the fork in the road. This knight thing sure wasn't what she thought it would be. She had no horse to carry her. No suit of glorious armor. No shield with the crest of Starats emblazoned upon it. Nothing—except a little gold brooch. Princess Pulverizer looked down at the pin. The opal stone glimmered up at her. A dull look came over the princess as she picked up her pace. She could no longer think of anything but following Elle's command. As she approached the farm, Princess Pulverizer looked around for any sign of Anna. But there was nothing. Not even a footprint in the dirt. The coast was clear. "I COME IN THE NAME OF ELLE!" the princess bellowed.

The farmer looked up, surprised. "What can I do for you, m'lady?" he asked Princess Pulverizer kindly. "I'm not a lady. I'm a knight. And I have come for all your strawberries!" "All of them? Wow!" the farmer said excitedly. "Give me a minute. It will take some time to add up the cost for so many bushels of berries." "I'm not paying you for them," Princess Pulverizer said. "Elle never pays. And neither do I, her faithful knight." Just then Dribble and Lucas came huffing and puffing up the hill. Princess Pulverizer stared at them. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Following you," Lucas told her. "We heard what you just said," Dribble added angrily. "You can't just take whatever you want. How is this farmer supposed to make a living if you steal his berries?" "He can plant a different crop," Princess Pulverizer said. "Something Elle doesn't like as much as strawberries." "What crop?" the farmer asked her. "Beets me." Princess Pulverizer laughed.

"Why don't you tell that joke to the cows?" Dribble scoffed. "They might find it a-moozing. But we don't. There's nothing funny about stealing." "I'd like to stay and chat, but I have to get these berries to my boss," Princess Pulverizer said. She picked up ten large bushels of berries, each one stacked on top of the other. "These are heavy." "Please don't take them all," the farmer begged her. Princess Pulverizer ignored the farmer's pleas. Instead she began walking away, her knees buckling under the weight of the buckets of berries. MEOW! Just then a black cat darted out into the road. Uh-oh! The princess was well aware that if a black cat crossed your path, it meant bad luck. She didn't need any of that. Quickly, Princess Pulverizer turned to step out of the cat's way. But as she did, she