The Awfully Angry Ogre (6 page)

P
OUNDING, THUMPING, AND SHOUTING WOKE
Tansy the next morning. “Is that you, Jonah?” she called out before realizing the noises weren't coming from outside her door after all. They were coming from somewhere else in the castle.

The other princesses had been awakened by the noise as well. They all climbed out of bed, shivering in the cold morning air, and
pulled warm robes over their nightgowns. They donned slippers, then trooped downstairs to find out what was happening.

An older man carrying a ladder strode past them at the bottom of the stairs, followed by a younger man pushing a cartful of rocks. “Morning, princesses!” the younger man called out cheerfully.

“Morning,” the princesses replied.

“Hey, he was one of the statues,” Fatima declared after the men had disappeared from view.

Of course! Tansy had thought he looked familiar.

Queen Charlotte was sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping a cup of tea and reading, when the girls entered the Main Hall. She looked up from her book. “Good morning,” she said, sounding even more cheerful than ever. “I bet you're hungry for breakfast.”

As her friends warmed their hands in front of the fire, Tansy glanced into the Dining Room. The table was covered with an amazing array of fruits, breads, eggs, and meats.

Elena appeared beside Tansy. “Just look at that food!” she exclaimed. “Where do you suppose it all came from?”

Before they could ask Queen Charlotte, King Albert stepped into the hall. He beamed at the princesses and gave Tansy a big hug. “I've just sent out a message with the good news about our
gentle
ogress. Already word of the young men's release has spread. People are returning to the kingdom!”

Tansy clapped her hands together. “That's great!” Her friends nodded in agreement.

Three men clattered into the Main Hall, passing through with hammers, chisels, and buckets. “What's going on?” Lysandra asked.

“Isn't it wonderful?” Queen Charlotte
said. “The young men you helped to release have come with their families to repair the castle. And they've even brought platters of delicious food.”

“Fantastic!” said Tansy. The sorry state of her family's castle hadn't made a bit of difference to her friends, but it would be nice to live in a place that was less drafty and crumbling. And perhaps they'd even have servants again, since people were returning to the kingdom.

Jonah came into the hall, carrying a newly painted picture. “It's about time you were up!” he exclaimed to the girls. Then he showed them his picture—a grand view of Mount Majesta.

“Is that us?” asked Elena, pointing to a tiny flying carpet in the corner.

Squinting, Tansy could just make out six small figures on top of the carpet.

Jonah smiled. “That's right.”

The princesses helped themselves to the pastries and fruit. Jonah had eaten earlier, but he stayed around for a second breakfast. “I'd sure like to fly on your carpet again,” he said to Fatima. “I'd like to try to paint an aerial view this time.”

“If Jonah goes, may I come too?” asked
Matthew.

“I'd be glad to take you both,” said Fatima.

“Why don't we all go?” Tansy suggested. “We could fly to the ogress's camp, check up on Edward and James, and see how the work is going.”

“Great idea,” said Lysandra. “Let's do it!”

After breakfast the princesses got dressed while Jonah and Matthew cleared the table and washed the dishes. Then they all gathered outside.

Fatima unrolled her carpet. “All aboard!” she called out. Quickly the friends scrambled to take their places.

As they sailed into the sky above a sea of leafy green, Jonah leaned toward Elena. “Isn't the view incredible? Mount Majesta looks beautiful from above the trees!”

Elena nodded. “I bet you're getting ideas for more paintings.”

“Don't encourage him,” Matthew grumbled. “He's already painted Mount Majesta from every angle and in every kind of weather and season.”

Jonah sighed dramatically. “True art is often underappreciated and misunderstood.”

“You could say that about a lot of things,”
Tansy said slyly. “
Sisters
, for example.”

“Or ogres,” said Elena.

Tansy lifted her face to the sun and took a breath of fresh air. She felt happy that everything had turned out so well and that, once again, she and her friends had chanced upon a marvelous adventure.

S
uzanne Williams often dreamed of being a princess, but she relinquished all hopes of glitz and glory to pursue the adventure of a lifetime—writing children's books. Besides the Princess Power series, she is the author of two chapter-book series and several picture books. Her fans know that while Suzanne might not wear a tiara, she definitely rules. Suzanne currently resides in regal Renton, Washington, where she and her husband share their reign with a toy fox terrier. When she's not penning princess stories, she enjoys puttering around her palace, going for walks in the countryside, and losing herself in good books. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-williams.com.

C
huck Gonzales doesn't know any princesses personally (other than his sister), but he thinks wearing a crown and not having to spend his own money can't be all
that
bad. His noble artwork has appeared in such diverse publications as
The New York Times, Weekly Reader, Tiger Beat,
and
Cosmopolitan
. Chuck Gonzales dwells in the majestic kingdom of New York, New York. You can visit him online at www.chuckgonzales.com.

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Cover art © 2007 by Chuck Gonzales

Cover design by Jennifer Heuer