Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Ever so slowly, Princess Pulverizer edged toward the nearby bushes. Somebody had to confront Ralf, or whoever was lurking nearby. It might as well be her. With one swift move of her hand, Princess Pulverizer whipped the branches of the bushes aside. And as she did, she came face-to-face with... The unicorn! He'd come back. The beautiful white creature stared at Princess Pulverizer.

The princess flashed him her friendliest smile—which apparently wasn't friendly enough. The unicorn dashed away. "Don't run!" the princess called to him. "I would never hurt you." But the unicorn raced off, running through the crowd of people. He was headed straight for Dribble.

Princess Pulverizer gulped. What was this about? Had the unicorn finished poking Ralf, and now it was back to accuse Dribble of something? Everyone stopped cleaning. They turned and watched as the unicorn lowered his head. He took straight aim right at Dribble. And then... he gently rubbed his soft white head against the dragon's tough green hide. "He's thanking you for freeing him!" Lucas declared with excitement. Princess Pulverizer let out a sigh. "Well, that's a relief," she said. "What did you think he was going to do?" Dribble asked her. "Me?" Princess Pulverizer asked. "Um, nothing. I knew all along he was here to thank you." The sword of truth jiggled at her side. "Anyway, now he can help us clean this river," she continued.

"If he wants to," Dribble said. He looked at the people of Beeten Wheeten. "It's not like he owes anyone here a favor. Not one of you came to his rescue. In fact, you paid money to stare at him." The people of Beeten Wheeten looked at the ground, embarrassed. The unicorn glanced at the polluted river. A single rainbow-colored tear fell from his eye. Ever so slowly, he walked toward the water, with his head lowered. When the unicorn reached the water's edge, he dipped his horn into the river. There was a flash of light. A sweet-smelling wind blew through the trees. And in an instant, the river was clean. "I guess unicorns don't hold grudges," Lucas said. "Good thing," Princess Pulverizer agreed. "It's also a good thing that Dribble freed that unicorn," Lucas told her. "With his help

we were able to clear Dribble's name and clear the river." "Speaking of which, we've done our good deed," Princess Pulverizer told the crowd of people who had gathered at the riverbank. "Beeten Wheeten is a healthy place to live again. We should be on our way." "Before you go, I'd like to give you something," the mayor of Beeten Wheeten told the princess. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief with a colorful unicorn embroidered on it. "This has belonged to my family for a long time. I'd like you to have it as our way of saying thank you." Princess Pulverizer reached out to take the handkerchief. Then she thought better of it. "Dribble is the one you should be thanking," she said. "He risked his own safety to free the unicorn." "You're right," the mayor said. "Dribble, this is for you. Keep it safe. Because this is a special, magical handkerchief. Hold it to your

nose, and you will be able to smell things miles away." Princess Pulverizer laughed. "I guess we're lucky this river smells better now." "No kidding," Dribble agreed. He held the handkerchief up to his snout. "I smell lemons. And there are no lemon trees around." "I didn't even see a lemonade stand in Beeten Wheeten," Princess Pulverizer added.