Chapter 9

Chapter 9 "FATHER!" Princess Pulverizer knew she was supposed to wait for King Alexander to speak before she said anything. And she knew she wasn't supposed to run into the king's throne room unannounced. Those were the rules. But the princess couldn't help herself. She was excited to see her father again. And hey, at least she'd cleaned herself up before she'd entered the room. "Princess Ser...," the king began as he hugged her tight. But one look at the expression on his daughter's face stopped him short. "Princess Pulverizer," he corrected

himself. "I am so glad to see you have returned safe and sound." "Me too," Princess Pulverizer replied. "You've brought along a friend... and a dragon?" King Alexander sounded surprised at the sight of Dribble. "Yes, but he's a kind dragon," Princess Pulverizer assured her father. "And brave, too. He and Lucas saved me more than once on my Quest of Kindness."

"Well then, you are both welcome in my palace. With gratitude," the king added. Dribble and Lucas both bowed deeply. "We shall have a banquet to celebrate your safe return!" King Alexander announced. "I'll tell the chef..." "Oh, there's no need for that," Princess Pulverizer interrupted her father. "Dribble is a better chef than anyone in the whole palace." She turned to her friend. "Go ahead, show him." Dribble looked a little unsure. But the princess gave him an encouraging smile, then pulled a loaf of bread and a pound of pungent provolone cheese from her sack. Dribble made a sandwich, held it near his snout, and let out a flame—not too high and not too low. Just perfect for grilling. "Oh my!" King Alexander exclaimed. "That's quite a fire you've got going." Princess Pulverizer tried hard not to giggle. It was rare that her father seemed nervous

around anyone or anything. But it was clear that a fire-breathing dragon in the middle of his throne room was having just that effect. "Here, your highness," Dribble said, handing the king a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich on a plate. King Alexander took the sandwich from the dragon and stared at it. "Go ahead, Father," Princess Pulverizer said. "Take a bite."

"I think I'm going to need a napkin," the king said. "Just use your sleeve," Princess Pulverizer told him. "I always do." King Alexander laughed and took a bite of the sandwich. "My goodness!" he exclaimed. "This is scrumptious." Dribble smiled proudly as the king hungrily devoured the delicious sandwich. Princess Pulverizer took a deep breath. Now that her father had a full stomach and was in a good mood, the time was right to ask him for permission to go to Knight School. "Father, I have managed to do what you asked," Princess Pulverizer said. "Together with Lucas and Dribble, we have completed eight good deeds. And we have the tokens of gratitude to prove it." One by one, the princess laid out the gifts she and her friends had gathered on their quest.

There was the ruby ring given to them by the Queen of Shmergermeister as a thank-you for finding stolen jewels, and the sword the King of Salamistonia presented them with for bringing laughter back to his kingdom. There was also the arrow the mayor of Ire- Mire-Briar-Shire had given them for returning all the cows, sheep, and goats to his village, and the giant mace that had been a gift from the King of Yabko-kokomo, to thank the princess and her friends for returning his kidnapped subjects. The princess showed her father the lovely hand mirror given to her by the good witch of Starats. Then she nodded toward Dribble, who proudly laid his magic handkerchief beside the mirror. It had been a gift from the mayor of Beeten Wheeten for their help in cleaning up the village's polluted water. Finally the princess placed the comb that Meri had given them beside the handkerchief.