The Princess Test

Chapter 8

On the same day that the talkative Princess Codelia was thrown out of the Biddle, Trudy perfected her plan.  She would lose Lorelei, plain and simple.  And whoever found her would have to keep her-finders keepers.  Trudy giggled.

"Lass,"  Trudy said.  "What's the name of that herb you like in your tea sometimes?"

"Hyssop?"

"That's the one.  We're fresh out of it, and there's none in the market."

"That's all right."  Lorelei smiled bravely.  "I can do without."

"But I don't want you to, sweet.  I want you to be happy, honey lamb."

"You're so good to me."

Hah!  "Tim, the spice peddler, told me where it grows in the forest.  I thought we could harness your dad's mule and go there tomorrow.  We'll have a picnic."

"What fun!"

Hooray!  Trudy thought.  The bumbling ninny would never find her way home from the middle of the forest.

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The next day princesses arrived at the castle in droves.  They came in carriages drawn by horses, by camels, by oxen.  One even came in a carriage drawn by crocodiles.  And another arrived in a hot-air balloon.  The courtyard was clogged with animals and carriages and princesses.  The Royal Guards got tired of raising and lowering the drawbridge.  They decided to leave it lowered till the prince announced his engagement.

There were too many princesses to test one by one.  So the king and queen decided to test them all together.

Nicholas looked them over.  Some were too short.  Some were too tall.  Some were too thin.  Some were too fat.  They'd all fail the measurement test.  But the rest seemed about right.  The most beautiful princess was the one who'd come in the carriage pulled by crocodiles.  She had huge purple eyes and a slow smile.  She gave Nicholas the shivers.  He kept feeling she didn't want to marry him-she really wanted to roast him and eat him with cream sauce.

In the forest Lorelei finished weaving a daisy chain.  She was in a small clearing, sitting on an embroidered blanket, a velvet embroidered blanket, of course.  The only kind that didn't make her itchy.

Trudy was hunting for hyssop, the herb for Lorelei's tea.

"Do you see any?" Lorelei called.

"Not yet.  Eat your lunch, I'll be there soon."

Lorelei opened the picnic basket.  Trudy's voice sounded faraway.  Lorelei bit into her cucumber sandwich with the crusts cut off.  "Trudy!" she called.  "Come back.  You must be hungry."

"Soon.  I think I see something."

Lorelei could hardly hear the words.  It was too bad that Trudy couldn't enjoy this beautiful day.  The spice peddler should have drawn a map showing exactly where the hyssop grew.  Lorelei finished her lunch and leaned back on the blanket.  Such sweet puffy white clouds.  She closed her eyes.  In a few minutes she was asleep.

Trudy led Leonard the mule along the trail next to the stream.  Lorelei hadn't called in a while.  It was safe to stop.  Trudy tied Leonard to a tree and took the extra lunch out of his saddlebag.  She kicked off her shoes and sat on a rock with her feet dangling in the cool water.  She bit into her sandwich.  Sausages and peppers.  Her favorite.  This was peace.

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Prince Nicholas couldn't stand being around all these princesses for another minute.  He saddled his horse and rode to Snettering-on-Snoakes.  He had to see Lorelei.

But she wasn't there.  Her cottage was empty.

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The first drops of rain woke Lorelei.  The sky was dark.

"Trudy?"

A roll of thunder drowned her out.  The drops came down harder.  They were huge.

"Trudy?  Do you hear me?"

Had Trudy come back and eaten her lunch while she was asleep  Lorelei opened the basket.  No.  Trudy's sausage-and-peppers sandwich was still there.  Trudy is lost!  Lorelei thought.  Poor Trudy.  She must be terrified.

Lightning lit the sky.  Were you supposed to get under a tree when there was lightning?  Or stay away from trees?

At least she'd be drier under a tree.  Lorelei jumped up and folded the blanket neatly.  Then she took the picnic basket and ran under a tall maple.

She stayed under the tree for an hour.  Every few minutes she called Trudy, but there was never an answer.  The sky grew darker.  Storm dark, but also night dark.  Lorelei's stomach rumbled delicately.  Time for dinner.

She had to find Trudy.  It was her responsibility because she was Trudy's mistress.  She had never felt so full of purpose before.  She had to find Trudy and Leonard the mule and get them home safely.  She'd go to the stream first.  The last time she'd heard Trudy's voice, it had come from there.

The stream was across the clearing and straight ahead, through a stand of trees.  Lorelei stepped into the clearing and was drenched instantly.  Oh well, she thought.  It was only water.

"Trudy!  Stay where you are.  I'm coming."  She didn't want poor Trudy to have one second more of terror than she had to.

As the water soaked into them, Lorelei's skirts got heavier and heavier and dragged more and more.  It was hard to walk, but she had to do it.

"Trudy!  I'm coming!"

Where was the stream?  She should have reached it by now.

"Leonard?"  Maybe the mule would hee-haw and she'd find him.  Then she could ride him and find Trudy more quickly.  She pushed past the bushes and over fallen logs.

Two hours passed.  Lorelei still hadn't found Leonard, Trudy, or the stream.  She was hungry and chilled.  She sneezed almost as often as she took a breath.  She couldn't get sick, not now when Trudy needed her.

Finally Lorelei sat on a tree stump and cried between sneezes.  She had to admit it.  Trudy was lost.  Leonard was lost.  And she was lost.