Read Online The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye - Free Book Online Page A

said Peter Aurelious politely.
    “Princess Amy,” said the man-of-all-work, “allow me to present a friend of mine—Prince Peregrine.”
    “I am honored, sir,” said the Ordinary Princess, sweeping an elegant court curtsey.
    “You said that just like a real princess,” laughed Peregrine.
    The Ordinary Princess straightened up from her curtsey rather hurriedly and said that it was high time they started back to the castle. “Look!” she said. “You can see the evening star already.”
    And sure enough, the sun had gone down, and between the tree trunks of the forest they could see the evening star twinkling in the apricot-colored sky above the distant rooftops of the city.
    “We shall have to hurry,” said the Ordinary Princess, “or we shall be dreadfully late and get locked out when they close the castle gates at sundown. Besides, I’m on duty after dinner.”
    So they ran back to Amber in the twilight and arrived at the back gate that leads to the kitchen quarters quite breathless and very dusty.
    “May I come and picnic with you and Mr. Pemberthy and Peter Aurelious this day fortnight, if I can manage to get off again?” asked Peregrine.
    “Do,” said the Ordinary Princess.
    “Then I’ll meet you at the three silver birch trees again,” said Peregrine, “and I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself so much before. Good night, Princess Amy.”
    “Good night, Prince Peregrine,” said the Ordinary Princess, and she slipped through the back gate and vanished into the kitchen.
    After that the hardest or messiest work never seemed quite so hard or so messy to the Ordinary Princess. The days seemed to fly past, and she would sing to herself as she scoured pots and pans, peeled potatoes, or washed dishes...
    “Lavender’s blue,
”Rosemary’s green,
“When you are King
”I shall be Queen.“
    She sang it so gaily that even the grumpiest cook had to smile.
    Every second Thursday she would fetch Mr. Pemberthy and Peter Aurelious, and they would all go off to meet Peregrine by the three silver birch trees at the edge of the forest.
    They spent the most delightful afternoons exploring and paddling in the pools and streams. Peregrine made her a bow and arrows out of willow stems and taught her how to shoot at a circle that they cut with his penknife in the bark of an oak tree.
    One day he brought a large bundle under one arm, as well as the picnic basket.
    “What’s that?” asked the Ordinary Princess.
    “Wait and see,” said Peregrine.
    When they reached their favorite oak tree, he opened the bundle. Inside was an axe, a little saw, a box of long nails, a hammer, and some rope.
    “I thought it would be fun to build ourselves a house to picnic in when the winter comes,” said Peregrine.
    The Ordinary Princess clapped her hands with joy.
    “You do have the nicest ideas of anyone I know,” she said. “Now where shall we build it?”
    In the end they chose a lovely spot in a tiny open glade in the forest. Two silver birch trees grew in the middle of it, and a little spring bubbled out of the moss close-by. They cut stout branches of oak, beech, and fir, sawed them into proper lengths, and hammered them deep into the earth to make the walls. Across these they nailed other pieces of wood and made a roof of willow branches, pine boughs, and ferns.
    They worked tremendously hard and got very hot, breathless, and happy.
    It took several second Thursdays before it was finished, but at last it was done. They had carpeted the floor of the little house with the brightest green moss they could find and had cut more squares of moss to thatch the roof. The house had two windows and a door that opened and shut. And though the windows had no glass in them and the door did not lock, that did not worry them at all. They were extremely proud of their work.
    “What shall we call it?” asked the Ordinary Princess. “Don’t let’s call it anything palacey or castle ish. Let’s give it a nice ordinary sort of