The Princess Test

Chapter 12

Nicholas couldn't sleep.  One second he was full of hope.  She'd passed all the tests so far!  The next second he was in despair.  Nobody could feel a pea through all those mattresses.  And the crocodile princess had a better chance than Lorelei.  After all, the crocodile princess was a real princess, not a blacksmith's daughter.

But it didn't matter.  If Lorelei failed, he'd marry her anyway.  And his parents would have fits.  And Percival would get the throne.  He tossed.  He turned.  He finally slept, and he dreamed of being eaten by crocodiles and drowned in peas.

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When Lorelei entered her room, she wondered why her bed had so many mattresses.  Last night it had been an ordinary bed.  She shrugged.  Maybe they wanted her to have an extra-good night's sleep before the big test.

She climbed the ladder and slipped under the sheets.  The bed was the softest she'd ever been in.  She stretched and wriggled her toes.  Mmm.  Lovely!

The prince was so nice!  Even if he wasn't a prince, even if he were a blacksmith, she'd love him.  But he was a prince, and that was even better.

She rolled over.  She couldn't get comfortable.  The sheets felt all right.  Satin.  Satin was good.  The blankets were velvet.  Velvet was good.

She closed her eyes.

Something was wrong.  Her nose itched and her back ached.  She climbed down from the bed and looked at it.

It had to be the mattresses.  Maybe there was a pigeon feather in one of them.  But which one?  There were so many.

She'd never fall asleep.  She'd be up all night.  Then she wouldn't be at her best for the big test tomorrow.  Maybe she could stretch out in front of the fireplace.

She spread a blanket on the floor and laid another one on top of it.  Then she got in between them and closed her eyes.  The hours crawled by.  The floor was hard, but you expected a floor to be uncomforable.  You didn't expect it from a bed with twenty mattresses.

Lorelei turned over on her stomach.  No better.  She rolled back.  Could she, Lorelei, actually become a princess?  She'd passed every test so far.  If she married Prince Nicholas, she'd live in a castle.  And so would her father.  She giggled, Trudy would be a real lady-in-waiting.

Trudy!  She sat up.  She'd forgoten to find out if Trudy had gotten home safely.  What kind of queen would she make if she couldn't remember her subjects?

She lay down again.  She'd ask first thing in the morning.  What could the test tomorrow be like?  Would they ask her questions?  She didn't know anything about being a princess.  She didn't know much about being a blacksmith's daughter either.

What if they asked her about laws!  About geography!  About how to sit on a throne!  Lorelei was awake all night.

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In the morning the Chief Royal Chambermaid led the two maidens to the throne room.  Lorelei's bones ached, and the skin under her gown was black and blue.

King Humphrey and Queen Hermione and Prince Nicholas were sitting on their thrones.  All the courtiers and subjects had been cleared out for the big moment.

The first thing Lorelei wanted to do was to find out about Trudy.  Then she'd take whatever test they wanted.  She'd probably fail it.  But at least she'd know about Trudy.

The other maiden looked so rested and...Lorelei hated to admit it, but the other one was beautiful.  Maybe by now Nicholas wanted her to win.

"Good morning, princesses or damsels," the king boomed.

"Did you sleep-" the queen began.

"Did you find out-" Lorelei began.

The doors to the throne room burst open.  A man rushed in carrying a child in his arms.  Lorelei though the little boy didn't look right.

King Humphrey stood.  "What or why-"

"Sire!  I am a poor woodcutter!  My son is sick, and I have no money to pay a wisewoman to cure him.  I have nowhere to turn, except to you."

"Oh dear," Lorelei said.  She ran to the child.  "Does your forehead pulse?"

The boy nodded.

"Oh dear.  Does it hurt to-"

Nicholas interrupted.  "If you were a princess here," he asked the crocodile princess, "what would you do?"

This is the test!  Lorelei thought.  Maybe the boy wasn't really sick.  But he looked sick.

The crocodile princess said,  "They should be forbidden to trouble you with their problems.  This man and his son must be put to death.  That will cure the boy."  And she smiled her slow smile.

"What would you do, Princess Lorelei?"  Nicholas asked.

What was she supposed to say?  Did the horrible one give the right answer?  But if you couldn't help people-if you had to kill them to make them leave you alone-then she, Lorelei, didn't want to be a princess.

But then she'd have to give Nicholas up.

Well, it didn't matter what the right answer was.  Somebody was sick!  "Oh dear.  I used to get sick when I was a little-uh-princess.  I still do sometimes."  She turned to the queen.  "Do you have any betony?"  Lorelei was sure she was ruining everything, because the queen looked so upset.  "I need the leaves of the chaste tree, too.  If you don't have that, some bugloss will do.  Where's the kitchen?"

Queen Hermione didn't know what to say.  So she rang for the Chief Royal Serving Maid.

"Princess Lorelei would be kind to our subjects, Father," Nicholas said, while they waited for the serving maid.  "Whether or not she can feel a pea under twenty mattresses."  He dropped to his knees so hard, he thought he had broken a kneecap.  "Ouch!"

"Oh dear," Lorelei said.  A pea?  What was he talking about?

"My darling princess." Nicholas took Lorelei's hand.  "Will you marry me?"

"Oh dear.  Yes, I'll marry you.  We'll need hot water.  Does your stomach ache?" she asked the boy.

He nodded.

"Did you sleep or rest well last night, Princess Lorelei?" the king asked.  He had to know even though everything had gotten confused or mixed up.

"No."  Lorelei said.  "I couldn't get comfortable.  So I slept on the floor."

"The pea!" said the queen.

"The pea or bean," said the king.

"Darling!" said the prince.