“Do, Father. Please.”
Robin continued. “Then we shall depart for my kingdom, which is seven years’ sailing from here.” He held his breath, hoping.
King Harrumphrey frowned. Since the envoy—a duke!—had chosen Robin, then the lad had truly become a prince. But seven years! Even if they turned around and came back as soon as they got there, the king still wouldn’t see his Larkie for fourteen years.
He couldn’t live for fourteen years without the sight of her. “Harrumph. Er, we admit that you are a prince, but can’t you stay here? Can’t those Briny Harrumphs do without you?”
“If I stay here, I’ll just be a baker’s son.”
“Father . . .”
King Harrumphrey looked at his daughter. She was half smiling. He knew what would turn that smile into a laugh. And he knew what would turn it into a frown and tears.
There had been enough tears. “No, you will not be a baker’s harrumph. You will be a Harrumph Prince of Biddle.”
Lark and Robin hugged each other. They danced across the Royal Drawbridge and back again.
Robin was so happy, he decided to try out a joke on King Harrumphrey. He said, “Why does a king always seem glum?”
King Harrumphrey frowned. What was the fellow talking about?
Lark was thrilled. Now Father would see what Robin was really like. “Why?” she said.
“Because he’s . . .” Robin sighed dramatically. “. . . a sire.”
The king stared. Then he got it. A sire. A sigh-er! He started laughing. “Har har harrumph.” It was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “A harrumph-er!” This commoner-turned-prince would liven up the castle. “Har harrumph har. Harrumph har har.”
Lark preferred the yardstick-ruler joke. But if Father loved this one, that was all that mattered.
Epilogue
Jake was as opposed to the match between Robin and Lark as King Harrumphrey had been. He said,
“I forbid the marriage with Princess Lark.
I would rather see the boy wed a barracuda.”
King Harrumphrey offered to elevate Jake to the rank of earl and to knight Nat and Matt, who had finally recovered from Ethelinda’s spell.
The three of them refused to become nobles. However, Jake agreed to the wedding when the king named him Royal Chief Poet and named Nat and Matt Royal Co-Chief Dictionarians in charge of adding new words to Biddlish.
Robin and Lark were married within a week, and the whole population of Snettering-on-Snoakes was invited, even though every one of them was a commoner.
King Harrumphrey performed the wedding ceremony, although Lark and Robin weren’t sure if the harrumphiage they were entering into was their marriage or their carriage.
Dame Cloris snored straight through the king’s speech. Golly stayed awake. She sat next to the chandler and decided he was the man for her. If she couldn’t boss him around, she’d boss Jenny the mule.
After the ceremony Robin told a joke:
“Why is a horse like a wedding?”
He waited, but not one of the guests could think of the answer, so he told them, “They both need a groom.”
Lark laughed and laughed. She felt so proud of Robin, the funniest prince in Biddle history.
Jake wasn’t sure he got the joke. His own Horsteed had never had a groom in his life. But he smiled and waited for the laughter to subside, so he could recite a poem to Robin.
“I thought to maiden Golly you’d be wed,
But you married Princess Lark in place of her.”
Robin and Lark thanked Ethelinda over and over for her help. Their gratitude went a long way toward restoring her confidence, and she was certain she’d never make another mistake.
The party after the ceremony was held on the bank of Snoakes Stream. Robin and Lark waded right in and pulled courtiers and commoners in after them for a Royal Splashfest. The golden goose waddled in too and splashed and honked at everybody. Lark was in heaven, splashing dukes and counts, and having them splash her right back.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Harrumph!
Honk!
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About the Author
Photo credit David Levine
GAIL CARSON LEVINE grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first novel, ELLA ENCHANTED, was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine’s other books include FAIREST, a New York Times bestseller, Publishers Weekly Best Book, and School Library Journal Best Book; EVER, a New York Times bestseller; DAVE AT NIGHT, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; THE WISH; THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book WRITING MAGIC: Creating Stories That Fly, the poetry collection FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT: False Apology Poems, and the picture books BETSY WHO CRIED WOLF and BETSY RED HOODIE, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail and her husband, David, live in a two-centuries-old farmhouse in New York’s Hudson Valley. You can visit her online at www.gailcarsonlevine.com.
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Books by Gail Carson Levine
DAVE AT NIGHT
ELLA ENCHANTED
EVER
FAIREST
THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE
THE WISH
BETSY WHO CRIED WOLF
WRITING MAGIC: CREATING STORIES THAT FLY
FAIRY DUST AND THE QUEST FOR THE EGG
FAIRY HAVEN AND THE QUEST FOR THE WAND
Credits
Cover art © 2006 by Larry Rostant
Cover design by Hilary Zarycky
Copyright
THE FAIRY’S RETURN AND OTHER PRINCESS TALES
The Fairy’s Mistake
Text copyright © 1999 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Mark Elliott
The Princess Test
Text copyright © 1999 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Mark Elliott
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep
Text copyright © 1999 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Mark Elliott
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill
Text copyright © 2000 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 2000 by Mark Elliott
For Biddle’s Sake
Text copyright © 2002 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Mark Elliott
The Fairy’s Return
Text copyright © 2002 by Gail Carson Levine / Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Mark Elliott
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006929894
ISBN 978-0-06-176898-9 (pbk.)
EPub Edition February 2014 ISBN 9780062253576
09 10 11 12 13 LP/CW 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Harper edition, 2009
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Gail Carson Levine, The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales
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