Chapter 7

Chapter 7 It sure is hot in here. That was all Princess Pulverizer could think as she slipped into her very first suit of armor. The sun warmed the copper and steel, keeping all the heat inside. She'd only worn the suit a few minutes and already she was drenched in sweat. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like once she put the helmet on. It wasn't easy to walk in, either. Wearing a full suit of armor wasn't anything like Princess Pulverizer had imagined. But the princess didn't dare complain. She was being careful not to anger Elle. The evil witch had been furious enough with her after the strawberry disaster. She'd even threatened to turn her into a newt! If Princess Pulverizer

messed this up, there was no telling what Elle might do. So instead, Princess Pulverizer sighed through her discomfort, glancing at the field where that day's jousting competitions were going to take place and quietly asked, "Are you sure this is what armor is supposed to feel like? I can hardly move." Elle rolled her eyes. "Why do I work with amateurs?" she shouted angrily to no one in particular. "This is jousting armor, you fool. It's much heavier than normal armor. I'd have had it made even heavier, but the armorer said the horse might collapse under the weight." Thank goodness for that armorer.

"Now, I have something special for you!" Elle sounded very excited. "A shield! With my personal crest." The witch handed Princess Pulverizer a large round shield, with a skeleton head carved in its center. "That's your crest?" Princess Pulverizer asked. "I designed it myself," Elle replied, smoothing the skirt of her blue-and-whitestriped gown. "Isn't it lovely?" Lovely wasn't exactly the word Princess Pulverizer was thinking of. Still, she answered, "Yes. It's great. Thank you." Elle beamed. "I knew you would like it. Now come on. We have to head over to the center of the field so you can pick your lance. And you better choose well. Because there's no way I... I mean you... are going to lose this joust. Do you understand?" Princess Pulverizer nodded nervously.

As she followed Elle through the wooden gate and over to the center of the list field where the joust was to take place, the princess felt her heart pounding with excitement. She'd sat in the boxes with her father many times during jousting contests. But this was so much better. Soon she would hear the cheers of the crowd as she rode toward her opponent and broke her lance against his shield. Or even better, knocked him from his horse. "You're riding in this joust?" Dribble's voice knocked the daydream from Princess Pulverizer's mind. She looked up and saw Dribble and Lucas standing beside a woman who looked just like Elle. Beside them was a tall man in shiny armor. He had a huge white-and-blue plume shooting out from his helmet. "I wish you the best of luck," Anna told Princess Pulverizer sweetly. She smoothed the skirt of her white-and-blue-striped gown. "It will be a fine match. My knight, Sir Stately, is

a skilled rider." She patted the knight on the back. "I hope he's a skilled loser, too," Elle told her sister. "Because that's what is going to happen to him." Now Princess Pulverizer understood why Elle had been so anxious for her to win this match. There was no way she wanted to lose to her sister—again.

The marshal walked over to Princess Pulverizer and Sir Stately. He held out a selection of lances. "Choose your weapons," he said. Princess Pulverizer immediately grabbed for the largest lance. But it was difficult to control because her hands were so small—she was just a kid after all. So she returned it, and grabbed a much smaller lance instead. "Don't choose that one," Lucas warned her. "You'll have to ride too close to Sir Stately to break it on his shield. It's dangerous." Princess Pulverizer gave him a haughty stare. "Have you ever been in a joust?" "No," he admitted. "I was always too scared to get up on a horse." Princess Pulverizer laughed in his face. "Then what do you know?" "You sure have gotten mean," Lucas said, his eyes filling with tears. Princess Pulverizer felt a slight twinge of guilt. Lucas had been her friend. And he'd