The King Threatens The Governess With Time In The Dungeon!

 The King yelled, "Sound the alarm! Get all servants available to search the garden. The maze is to the west of the garden." The King heard a loud barking. It was coming from the direction of the maze he was sure. Just as he started to run he thought he saw a Great Pyrenees stray that he had acquired to train to be part of the Royal Canines run through the gate.

"This way! Come with me! I'm sure I hear the bark of the Great Pyrenees. I don't recognize whether he needs help or is hurt. Hurry!"

The trainer ran as fast as he could to catch up with the King. After what seemed like hours they entered the edge of the maze. There was the governess with dogs nipping at her ankles, biting her dress. She was trying her best to get away from them, but the stray dogs were not going to let that happen,. The King wanted to laugh, but the situation was too dangerous. His daughter was in the middle of the maze sneezing! "Oh my poor Marlee girl. You cannot stand the cherry blossoms, can you my dear?"

The maze was off limits to all the servants in his kingdom so it was overgrown with brush and flowering weeds. There in the middle was his Great Dane trying his best to get the Princess to let him get her out, but she couldn't stop sneezing. He took a breath relieved that Princess Marlee would be alright as soon as they got her out of the maze. But where was Princess Whitlee, his youngest daughter? The governess! What has she done with her? He ran to her and watched as the dogs were biting her and even the cats were scratching the woman. "Where is my daughter? Answer me right now or you will go to the dungeon for the rest of your sorry life. Do you hear me?"

"It's not my fault, your majesty. She's a naughty little girl. She kicked me in the shins when I told her she wasn't being lady like and that we had to end our walk in the garden because of her. Princess Marlee ran into the maze and Princess Whitlee ran the other way. I don't know where she is. I quit! This is no place for a woman of my gentle ancestry to work."

The King gave a harsh laugh and said, "Go pack your things. The carriage will take you as far as the road. You will not get good references from me, so you might as well look for housework or seamstress work in the village. Your gentle ancestry as you put it will do you no good. Good day, Madam!"

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Whitlee ran as far as she could to get away from that terrible woman. She had looked neither right nor left. She found herself in a grove of trees as green as any she had ever seen. There was a pond! Oh how lovely it was. She stopped to rest. She looked at her hands and her dress. She was dirty from running through the trees. She reached up to adjust her crown when she heard a strange noise. It sounded kind of like a person, but it was odd sounding. She stood as quietly as she could to see if she could see this person. She didn't see anything except for a frog or two. Beyond the pond there was a strange little shack. She smiled. There was no one there to make her walk straight with books on her head. There was no bad woman to make her sew when she didn't want to sew or sit up straight with her hands in her lap and her legs crossed only at her ankle. No, here she could sit in the lovely green grass and rest. Maybe she could pick some flowers. "Hmm, what is that sound? I see nothing but a couple of frogs."

Suddenly Princess Whitlee felt something on her satin slipper. There sat a frog. He had jumped on her foot! "Oh my, Mr. Frog. Please do not get my slippers dirty. Mama will be so upset with me. It seems that I just cannot be a lady. The horrible governess was trying to make me do things that I just could not do or rather I did not want to do those things. I wish I could just sit down on the grass and smell the pretty flowers. Suddenly Princess Whitlee found herself sitting in front of the little shack. It may have been at one time a tree. Oh it was so pretty there. She could see the pond and hear the other frogs singing along with the wind and the birds in the trees. 

"Oh Mr. Frog! Look at me! I have lost my crown. Oh no! I am in so much trouble. It seems I am always in trouble and now with my Father, the King. Those jewels were precious and had been handed down for generations. How can I ever go home? Oh how I wish my sister, Princess Marlee could be here with me. We could stay here for ever and ever. She likes animals and pretty flowers too. She loves animals and dogs just like I do, but we are never allowed to have them in the castle. She felt the ground shake and the birds quit chirping. There was a thud and  there was Princess Marlee!

How happy the two sisters were. There were no more rules to obey! No more sitting straight and no more sewing until their fingers hurt. No more food! Oh no! What will we do now? We will surely starve to death. Oh how I wish I hadn't wished at all. It must be all this frog's fault. I've heard about frogs having magic powers. Oh what have I done, dear sister? How I wish I had never run away from the governess even though she was a wicked woman. At least I would have books to read and food and tea to drink."

Mr. Frog said, "Be careful what you wish for, Princess Whitlee."

 Princess Marlee said with a loud voice, "Wait!, Mr. Frog. Look over by the door there is a  book laying near the door of the little shack. Sister, there's a book to read. Maybe we don't have to go back. We could probably find our own food in the woods and be happy here all by ourselves. Maybe Mr. Frog will grant all of our wishes until we run out of things to wish for.

The Queen Has Fired The Governess

 Rex and Rowdy had heard Ivy's howl. It was an emergency alert. They ran to to the garden gates and spied the governess, but did not see the two princesses. "What do you think, Rex? Ivy seems to think there is trouble or she wouldn't have sent out the alarm."

Rex said, "We watch and be quiet. The governess has been acting strange lately. It is our job to protect the two little girls as well as the King and Queen. I remember that there is a maze through the far end of the garden. It goes to the western part of the kingdom. No one is allowed to go there by order of the King. Some people got lost in there and were never seen again. I was part of a canine task force and we never found them, so it's a bad place for sure."

Rowdy said, "What do we do about the governess? What if we are wrong and she is doing nothing wrong? We could get into trouble that way too. I'd say we are in a pickle."

They looked up and could no longer see the governess. "Ruff, we have lost not only the two sisters, but now I can't see that governess. Come on, let's get going. I will go in the direction of the governess and you go to the west. If the girls went in that direction it was the governess's fault. Now use that nose of yours and be quick! Find those girls. I'm going to get the governess back here and take her to the King. I will send out for help from the Watch Dog strays. It shouldn't take long with help from them. They don't have a pedigree, but they are street smart and fast. Okay, get going."

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It was a beautiful day for a stroll in the warm sunshine. The King looked about the lands that had belonged to him and his family for many generations. His father and his father before him had lived here. He ruled his kingdom much differently than his ancestors, however. His ancestors ruled with soldiers and wars. He ruled with kindness and good faith with his servants and the people that farmed his lands. He was a fair landlord and provided his farmers and their children with fair rents of their land and the crops that they raised. The King also thought that it was reasonable to provide medical care for them and their families. He even had a laboratory for the scientists to do experimental studies.

The King smiled when he thought about his two little girls. They soon would be grown up and be part of the Royal social gatherings. He worried about that. Choosing the right husbands for them would be a worry and thinking about them leaving the castle to their own homes left him quite sad. They were so beautiful, but so very different. One of his daughters was so anxious to please and the other quite the opposite. She would be a problem for a husband that's for sure," he chuckled. "But she too, was kind, but stubborn and difficult to train to ways of royal society. Yes, she would or could be a leader in society to say the least."

"Ahh, look at you, your majesty, he chuckled as he saw the Queen's cat sitting in the window surveying her kingdom; occasionally blinking her eyes. His wife  dressed that cat as a queen complete with crown and robes. "You know you are a spoiled cat. My dogs are not spoiled. They are workers and protectors. Just exactly what is it that you do to earn your keep?" He chuckled to himself about how he spoiled his Queen and walked on to check on the stray dogs that he was having trained to help his Great Danes.

As he approached the canine quarters he was immediately alarmed. It was empty! There was not a single dog in the building! He yelled for the trainer and watched as his dog trainer came running towards him. He was out of breath and running as fast as he could. "Your Majesty! The dogs are gone and so are the cats . I think the governess and the two Royal Princesses are in the maze. I am going to ring the alarm. I need help!"

As the Queen was descending the staircase to the dining room she heard the alarm. "Oh no! What on earth is wrong? I must find the King!"

She called for the butler and asked him where her daughters were. He replied, "Your Majesty, they have gone for a walk with the governess. They have been gone a good half hour. May I ask what seems to be the trouble?"

"Yes you may! I terminated her employment last evening. She should not be with my daughters. Call for the King. My children are in dire danger!"

The Watch Dogs Were On High Alert!

 The two royal sisters were so excited to be able to go outside for a walk. They were getting so nervous because they were afraid that their governess would find the smallest reason to not let them go outside. They could not giggle or make a mistake with their sewing or their numbers. They had to have perfect posture and their beautiful gowns could not have a single wrinkle in them. That part was especially difficult for Princess Whitlee. She loved to be comfortable and saw no reason to be a lady all of the time. Why couldn't she just relax and have fun with her sister, Marlee?  Another thing she was upset about was that she and her sister were not allowed to have a pet in the castle. Her stern father had told them that dogs and cats were to be outside only. They had jobs just like the servants did. Dogs were to accompany him hunting and to protect the castle from bad people and the cats were to catch mice and rats. No rats and mice in the castle's pantry meant that everything would be nice and clean and then the old cook would be happy. Princess Whitlee grinned when she thought of the old cook screaming one day when she saw a mouse in the pantry. "That was pretty funny," she thought. Before she laughed out loud the grouchy governess appeared in her doorway. "Are you ready for your walk? I never thought you two would keep all of the rules, but you have so let's get your gloves on, your parasols ready and proceed to the garden."

The girls were thrilled with the opportunity to go outside. The flowers were blooming and the birds were chirping their beautiful songs. For the first time in a very long time Whitlee didn't feel like talking. It was so very beautiful. With every step she wished she could be outside forever.

What Princess Whitlee was not aware of was that they were being watched. The Watch Dog group was on high alert. They did not trust the governess. Their ears were perked up and their tails were pointed in the direction of the royal gates. All were ready in case they were needed to protect the beautiful young girls. The Watch Dog group had three special undercover schnauzers; Ivy, Joy, and Hulk. They were housed in half of special thoroughbred duplex quarters. In the other half were thoroughbred Great Danes; Rex and Rowdy.

Hulk said, "Ivy, use your blue eye to keep a close watch on that governess. Something does not seem right. We need to let Rex know if we see something wrong. Suddenly Ivy said, "See that? The governess just pointed to the direction of the maze. No one is supposed to go to the maze. They get lost in there and are never seen again. Give the trouble howl alert and Rex and Rowdy will put a stop to it. And that she did! What a howl The Hulk did make! The howl was also heard by the Royal Cat, Isabelle. Soon there would be a revolution never to be seen before in the history of the Royal Weaver courtyard.

Isabelle, The Fearless Had Been Banned From The Castle

 Isabelle, the Fearless, was the governess's protector at one time it seemed like forever ago. The King denounced her and forever removed her title because she did not protect her lady during the time of the Dog Revolution. That was so many years ago. Her lady had gotten a bad bite on her leg; it was the worst time of her life. She  was so ashamed of her cowardice.   However, she was lucky. She was allowed to live on the outskirts of the Canine Quarters. The building was in ill repair and her meals were often forgotten. She was at times forced to hunt mice for her supper. She shuddered at the thought of such poor food. She had been fed salmon and halibut from the ocean; the food of royalty. 

She remembered the velvet pillow that she had slept on next to the governess. It was so soft and it faced the window so that when the sun went down in the late afternoons she had sunned herself. She was always warm in the often drafty room. Now she had no pillow to lay her head on let alone stretch out in the sun. The building was full of spiders and cobwebs. The old wooden floor had some old moldy straw scattered around. She had forced herself to use her paws to drag the straw into a pile for a place to sleep. Life was not like it used to be that's for sure. She was glad her mother couldn't see how she ended up. She would be so ashamed of her. She had raised her daughter to be as strong as the tom cats and stand up for herself.. Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop when she heard a psst  sound coming from the only window in the barn. It was a cat. A big gray cat; a Tom cat!

"Hey, I think it's about time you quit feeling sorry for yourself. Yes, you lost your title. Yes, you lost your nice bedroom in the castle, but you are still alive and healthy. You know, there is something to say about a diet of mice. They make us strong. Exercise chasing them is a good and satisfying thing. Now that I have your attention. I have something to tell you. Your lady that is the governess is planning to get the two sisters lost in the forest and leave them there. I was at the Watch Dog meeting this morning and they are planning on taking her out! Yes, your lady. Are you going to stand for it? Or are you going to do what you did last time, just hide behind a bush?"

Isabelle frowned. She had to think this over. She did not like hearing the gray tom cat telling her that the governess was wicked. She had always been so nice to her. It was hard to believe. "Are you sure about what you are telling me? She was always stern with them, but I can't believe that she wants them to get lost out in the forest. I have to think this over before I do anything silly like get myself kicked out of the kingdom for good."

"So just how well do you know those dogs? Are you really going to listen to a bunch of stray dogs that might have some bone to chew with her? No. I'm not going to believe your tale without some proof that she's up to no good. And why would she want them out of the castle? No. I'm not going to do anything rash. Go tell your story to somebody else. I'm getting hungry and when I'm hungry I get mean. Now scat, cat!"

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"Rats, that Isabelle is a hard nut to crack! I had planned on a big ruckus in the courtyard between the cats and dogs. Unless she changes her mind, I have to find another way to get not only the governess out of the castle, but the Queen as well. The Queen has been making noises about getting rid of all the feline quarters. She favors dogs as does the King. I won't have it! First of all the governess does not like those little girls at all. I need a free for all in the courtyard to show the King and Queen that the cats are better keepers of the kingdom than those dogs. I will prove to the King that the stray dogs aren't nearly as smart as the Royal thoroughbreds and that the thoroughbreds aren't nearly as smart or brave as the cats; stray or with royal blood lines. They have forgotten that the Lion is the King of the Jungle and I am part lion, I just know that I am. With that thought he tried his best to roar, but it came out a squeaky meow.

The noise scared the mice so they ran and hid and watched from their little homes as the big gray cat prowled the barn looking for his supper. After all his name was Mouse Kitty so he had better live up to his name.

Each Stray Had A Story

 The caretaker of the canine quarters for the stray dogs was not aware that there was a conflict going on among the dogs. Since they had gotten together and had decided to give themselves a name and a purpose;( to protect the two princess's from what they thought was an evil governess) Zeke, of course, was the largest of the group and he said that he should be the leader of the Watch Dogs. Willow argued that she should be the leader because she was almost as big as Zeke, but younger and quicker to protect the young sisters. Lola listened to the big dogs and wanted to speak up in her defense. She was a great ankle biter and that would give the sisters a chance to run away while the governess was nursing her sore ankles. But she didn't, she listened to a bigger black dog. His name was Boots. He thought he should be the leader as well as president of the Watch Dogs, because he was determined. Once he made his mind up to something nothing or no one would stop him. Yes, he should be the leader. Aurora and Penuche got into their own argument disagreeing about which one of them was the Queen's favorite. Arguing was futile because of the noise that had become louder. There were cats in the group! "This is unheard of. We are the Watch Dogs and cats definitely do not belong here! Little Jinx started to bark. He found a paw on his back and a warning to not be noisy or the King would send them all back out on the streets.

With all of the their arguing they had not noticed that they had traveled through the royal gates onto the Queens tower where they spied three cats sunning themselves in a big window. One had a crown on her head. That was Isabella, the Rat. She was the oldest Royal cat. Sitting beside her was Sunny, the Furious, and Edward, the Guard. These three felines were the chosen. The dogs and the single cat in their group could only dream of being in the Queen's favor. It was a hard job being in the King's Watch Dog group. They had yet to prove themselves. Their job was a big one, but they would do it. They decided to talk to the lone cat in their midst. Even though he was self elected, Zeke told his fellow canines to be quiet. He was going to ask this big gray cat if she had any idea what she had in her mind joining a bunch of street dogs. "Are you a crazy cat? Don't you know that cats and dogs are enemies? You should not be here. You should go back to where you came from. Where did you come from, anyway?"

The big gray cat said, "My name is Mouse Kitty. Once long ago a nice lady gave me that name when I was a tiny kitten. She said that I looked just like a little field mouse because of the color of my fur."

Boots, the dog that had declared that she should be the leader because of her determination listened to the conversation between Zeke and the cat. That cat seemed so very familiar. Once she had known a kind lady who had four cats. Wasn't one of them called Mouse Kitty? Surely not. They were staying in the Royal Canine Quarters. It wasn't possible that he was the same cat. He decided to lay down and let his memories of the nice lady take him back to a place he loved to be. She got him toys and let him lay on her legs when she wasn't feeling well. He liked to help her. But that cat! Who was he? If he was the same one, he used to be a friend of hers. He really could be a help to the Watch Dog Group because of his color and he was fast on his feet. It probably wouldn't work though because the name of the group did not include cats.

Aurora was upset as could be. She once had been a favored dog and had actually run a school for dogs in the neighboring kingdom. She had taught the young puppies to learn discipline and obey the commands of the royalty in the castle. Penuche and Jinx were also there. Now she was a stray all because of Jinx. Oh that puppy! He had run out the door and Penuche had followed him. There was nothing to it, but for her to get them back into the school room. She could not catch them! They were too fast for her. The Queen had sent them all on their way once they were caught. She said that she could not depend on her to have control of her students. Therefore, she was fired from her position. Now look at her. Both of those other dogs were here and that Jinx! Barking of all things. Good thing that big Goldendoodle laid her big fat paw on him or we would all be back on the street again. What to do? Maybe Willow should be the leader of the group. She sure did good with Jinx.

Aurora, as well as the other dogs heard an urgency in Zeke's low, but clear voice. "The governess and the two royal sisters are coming out of the garden door. Keep a keen eye on them. It is our mission to keep those sisters safe. Watch for my signal. If I see that they are in danger I will let you know what to do. Ears Up! Eyes sharp! Point those tails if you understand your orders!

Zeke looked over his mixed group of warriors. All tails were pointing to the sky. "Okay, boys and girls. This is your chance to prove that you are no longer strays, but a Royal Band of Warriors. We are the Watch Dogs!" He noticed a glare from Mouse Kitty and said, "And Cat."

The Stray Dogs Were Aware Something Was Wrong

 The next morning after breakfast Mrs. Herrington had the two sisters practice their embroidery stitches on tiny handkerchiefs. The underside of the material had to look as good as the top. The stitches had to be  exactly the same size or the governess would make the girls take out the stitch or stitches and do them over. Whitlee hated this class, but her sister made a slight shake of her head and Whitlee said nothing for fear of losing the privilege of going outside. After sewing class was over they practiced their posture. It was done by walking with books on their head and walking straight across the school room several times. If a book fell off their head then they were told to put two books on their head and make even  more trips until they had perfect posture.

It seemed forever until their lunch was served. They avoided each other's eyes because they might smile or do something that would give the governess an excuse to not let the girls outside for their walk. They were given instructions on serving each other tea. They were careful not to spill a drop or that too might dissuade the governess from taking them outside. Much to their surprise the governess said, "Alright girls, get your parasols and gloves. We will soon be leaving for our walk. Don't dally or you won't be served your afternoon tea."

Sashia heard the door to the garden shut and went to the window to see what was happening. She couldn't believe her eyes. The governess was taking the princesses outside! She was going to share the news with the old sleepy head, Zeke.

A newbie to the Royal Canine quarters was Lola. She along with a few other dogs were part of the King's newest idea of rescuing dogs  that were strays. He had hired someone to see if they could be trained like the thoroughbreds were. She liked her new home; it was comfortable and warm. They gave her as much food as she could eat. Best of all she had her very own toy. She called it Froggie! This day she was watching some people out of her window. There were two young girls and a mean looking older woman. "Hmm, I wonder where they are going. I have never seen such fancy people before. I think I'm going to go tell the others to look out their window. Maybe they know them. Come on, Froggie, let's go over and visit with the other dogs next door."

"

"Hi, I'm Sashia and this is Lola. We are new here too. We thought maybe you should know that there is a mean looking human out in the garden with two happy little girls. We were wondering if we should do something; maybe bark a little to warn them?"

 "The oldest of the dogs said, "Yes, I see them too. Barking is against the rules. If we do that we go back out on the streets and the King's newest project of saving strays will fail. I'm not going to do that, but I have an idea. Come with me."

The two dogs trotted behind the older dog whose name was similar to Sashia's. Her name had a "T" in it that sounded like Stashia. "Such an interesting place this is, she thought." There lay the biggest dog that Lola had ever seen. He was white too, but he was enormous. She soon found out that when he is napping you shouldn't bother him. He was kind of grouchy, but the worst thing about him was that he took a liking to her Froggy toy. "Mine, he said. I like this frog. He's been chewed on a lot. That makes it just right for me."

Lola started to object when Willow, her new friend made a low noise in her throat warning her to not make a fuss. "He's testing you to see if you realize that he wants to be your friend. Sharing is one of the new rules we have to keep here in the Canine Quarters," she whispered.

Lola didn't know if she liked that rule one little bit. She had never had a toy before and she loved it. She did not want to share. Willow kept staring at her and blinked her kind eyes. Lola finally told the big white dog that he could have it to chew on sometimes if he would share with her too.

The big white dog licked on the frog and nudged it back over to her. "It's yours. I'm so big if I chewed on it it would be gone. I know all about you little Lola. You've had a hard life. We all did. There is something that we can do about this situation without making a fuss. We need to get our heads together to think of a way to get rid of that woman they call a governess. I don't trust her. I have a feeling that she is going to do harm to the young princesses. How about if we have a watch party. We will take turns keeping an eye on her especially when she is with those young ladies. We will call ourselves the Watch Dogs!"

The Dreaded Mrs. Herrington

 The next evening Mrs. Herrington came into the young princess' room and said, "Now you act according to the rules of royalty, young ladies. There will be no talking and you go right to sleep. You know that sleep is very important for your complexions. You do not want sunshine on your face That will make freckles and the lack of sleep will cause swelling under your eyes and frowns on your brow. Put on your sleep masks and go to sleep at once. I will check on you to make sure that you are asleep in a few minutes."

The youngest of the two laid as quiet as a little mouse until she could no longer hear the clicking of the governess' shoes on the marble floor. "Are you awake?" she whispered. She waiting for what seemed an eternity. Finally she heard her sister say, "Are you out of your mind? We don't want bread and water for our dinner tomorrow. I'm hoping that Father will allow us to go outside tomorrow afternoon. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. Hopefully we will have a good day tomorrow. Maybe we will be allowed to watch the deer and the swans swimming in the beautiful pond."

Princess Marlee, the older of the two girls, hated her sleep mask. She carefully removed it and sighed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, so much better."

Her younger sister said, "You took off your sleep mask, didn't you? I did too. She couldn't help but giggle. I hate that thing. I will never have wrinkles and even if I do, I don't give a care."

Suddenly the door burst open and there stood Mrs. Herrington with an angry look on her face. "I just knew you two were not capable of following the rules. You have taken off your sleep masks and you are giggling like a couple of commoners. Your father will hear about your behavior and you will suffer the consequences. You were warned what would happen if you didn't follow the rules. I worry about the kingdom and what will happen to it if this is the kind of poor decisions you are making now, the future is in danger; not only of the kingdom, but of the royal line. Your ancestors would be so ashamed of you!"

The candles on the walls started to flicker. The doorway was filled with the King! The princess's had not seen their father in some time. They started to tremble. They loved their father, but he could be very stern. They were afraid of what their punishment was going to be.

"What is going on in here, Mrs. Herrington? Are the girls giving you trouble?"

Mrs. Herrington bowed her head and said, "Your majesty the young girls seem to be having difficulty following my instructions. They refuse to wear their sleep masks and will not close their eyes and go to sleep."

"You are dismissed, Mrs. Herrington, I will take over this situation." The King waited until the governess had left the room and sat down on Princess Marlee's bed. "Now then, little one. What seems to be the problem? You don't like those sleep masks?"

 The girls were worried, but now their father seemed kind and genuinely wanted to know their problems. "We hate them!" both sisters said at the same time. "We don't care if we get freckles or wrinkles. We can hardly sleep with those things on and we want to go outside. Please let us go outside. Even for a few minutes every day to get some fresh air. We would like to go for walks and watch the deer and the swans. Maybe we could even find some other children to play with."

"Will we have to have bread and water for our dinner tomorrow because we were bad?"

The King smiled and hugged them both. "I am making a proclamation that officially from now on you will no longer have to wear those silly things, He chuckled. And furthermore every afternoon after tea you will be escorted by Mrs. Herrington outside to watch the wildlife. Now how does that sound?"

The girls looked at each other and said, "Thank you Father. We appreciate your kindness."

"Well, that doesn't sound like two little girls that are happy. What is the problem?" Both girls said, "Mrs. Herrington!"

"I'm sorry girls, but that is the rule. You have to be escorted every time you go outside. Now you two go to sleep. I'll see you at dinner tomorrow night and you will tell me all about your walk outside. By the way we will not be served bread and water for our dinner then or ever in the future."

What the King and his two precious daughters did not know was that Mrs. Herrington was outside the door listening to everything that was said. "Well, I'll just see about this. Those two are trying to get me fired from my job. I need this job. They will be sorry when I take them outside tomorrow. I'll show them that when I make rules I expect them to be followed to the letter."

As she quietly walked back to her room she was making plans for the next day. If you listened carefully you could hear a quiet, but wicked chuckle coming from her room.

You Are My Best Friend

 The two young princesses were instructed to practice their reading by their governess in the school room of the castle. Because they had been very very good and had obeyed all of the rules the governess said that just this once they could read their favorite story once again this week. The stern woman warned them that she would be listening for any mistakes that were made. If that happened they would have to put their favorite book back on the bookshelf and go back to their school books.

Their favorite book was about a frog and a little girl that lived in the forest. They quietly got the book from the shelf and sat on the sofa after they had smoothed their gowns so that there would be no wrinkles in the beautiful material when they were finished.

The older of the sisters opened the old book and ran her small hand over the worn book. She especially loved this book because it had belonged to her mother, the Queen. Before that it had belonged to the Queen Mother. She turned to her little sister and asked, "Alright, little sister, are you ready to hear my favorite story?" Her little sister smiled and nodded her head.

The princess quietly cleared her throat and began to read her favorite story. It was her favorite because she knew it was about her. It had to be.

"Once upon a time there was a beautiful castle. It was surrounded by a very large forest with trees heavy with green leaves and beautiful flowers. All around the castle there was a stream that made soft little noises as it made it's way down the hill and away from the castle. 

One day the princess that lived there looked out her bedroom window. She saw a swan floating on the little stream and a deer munching on the green fresh grass. Oh how she wanted to go outside, but she was not allowed to because her father, the King, said that because she was royalty she could not just go outside like poor people did. He had told her that she had responsibilities that came with her title. Someday she would be Queen and had to accept the fact that she was not just an average child. She was a princess.

Her little sister looked up at her and said, We can't go outside either, can we? Is the reason because we are royalty too?" Her sister gave her sister's hand a little squeeze and said, "Yes, that's the reason. When we grow up we will have to do the same things our mother and father do. We have to make laws and we will have people that make sure that the people in our kingdom follow them."

" We don't have much time left so I'd like to read a little more of the story. Is that alright?"

Her young sister looked up at her and said, "I really want to go outside and play, but It's okay as long as you are here with me. Please don't ever leave me because you are my very best friend."

The governess came through the door and said, "You naughty girls have frittered away the time that I gave you too read your favorite book. So now you put that book away and get back to the school room. You must learn to obey the rules. Someday you will thank me for this. Now do as I say!"

"The youngest princess whispered, "How did she know that we were talking and not reading the book? She seems to know every thing! Someday I just might run away and be like the little girl in our favorite book!"

"Shh, don't let Mrs. Herrington hear you or you will go to bed with only bread and water. You have to be careful. You don't want to be hungry. I will speak to Father and beg him to let us outside just for a little while in the afternoons. But you have to promise not to get dirty. I know for sure that if we get dirty he will never let us go outside again. Shush now; here she comes."

Once Upon A Time There Was A Princess...

 As Grandma B started to wake up  she hurt all over. She tried to sit up, but realized that she wasn't alone. "What happened? Where am I? Where is Grandma Lu? Oh my gosh, where is Marlee? Is she alright? Am I still in jail? Why am I still thinking about railroad cars and poor children that had no homes? Whitlee patted her grandma's shoulder and said, "You are alright and so are we. Marlee is with Mom and Dad, but I decided to come find you. There was a tornado that destroyed a lot of buildings, but Marleewood is alright. There are some trees and branches laying around we have to clean up, but Marleewood is big and strong. Not even a tornado can knock it down, but it did you! Why were you going upstairs anyway? Everyone else stayed down in the basement but you. Even the mayor is down there. Grandma Lu tried to follow you and hurt her hip, but she's okay. You are all wet from the rain. No, you can't have this book. It's a special book. I know it's special because a little girl gave it to me and told me to tell her story. I don't know who I'm supposed to tell.  Never mind. Let's go home. Mom and Dad are waiting for you. What do you mean you can't go home? You aren't making any sense. Maybe you were hurt more than what we thought. Mom! Dad! Come help me get Grandma B up. I think she hit her head on this tree."

"Whitt, give me that book! I have to have it. It has to go to the library for everyone to read. Give. It. To Me.! Grandma Lu's trunk. I have to get to it. It has the answer, Whitt. Please help me!"

Then all was quiet and Grandma B continued to sleep as she was taken from Marleewood to the hospital.

                                                      &&&&&

The little girl that had no name for so many years was now a grownup lady with a beautiful name. She was  the daughter of the mayor. She felt like everyone that lived in the city was her responsibility. She could feel the weight of her duties  grow heavier and heavier as the days went by. Her father relied on her to tell her everything that was going on in the beautiful city. Every morning she went for a walk and saw people sleeping on the sidewalks and in the doorways. She saw children thin and shivering. She knew that her father had to do something; but what? The amount of money in the bank was getting lower and lower. Rich people in her city were not paying taxes like they should. Where could she get the money to help these poor children? Today after her walk she went to her bedroom to think. She just had to do something to help. 

She had been like the hungry children in her city at one time many years ago. Then her father had adopted her and gave her a beautiful life. She had a lovely bedroom and toys growing up. Why were some people rich and some people so very poor? Why did this happen? How could she help her father fix this terrible problem? She laid down on her bed and rubbed her forehead. She had a terrible headache. Her thoughts were racing through her mind. She kept thinking "Tell my story. Please tell my story." The young woman sat straight up in bed and said, "I'm going to write a book and maybe someday I will make a movie. Maybe I will write lots of books then people will learn about homeless people and make laws that the rich people pay their taxes so that the government can build houses and the people without jobs can work and make money and then the children won't go hungry. "Well, that sounds so simple, but it isn't is it, Froggy?"

The young woman had this glass frog for as long as she could remember. Long before her father and mother adopted her. She reached for the frog and as her fingers touched the beautiful green frog she thought of something that she had long forgotten. A fairy tale that her mama had told her so many years ago. "I almost forgot, my dear Froggie. Do you remember the story mama read to me? The princess and the Frog story?" Let's see if I can remember it. Oh Mama, how I wish you were here to read the story. You always kept that book in your trunk. I wonder whatever happened to that book and the trunk. You wrote stories in the book, but I think you wrote other things in there as well. So sad that it's gone. You always made everything all better."

" I think it started out, Once upon a time there was a princess...