The Dragon Princess by E. D. Baker

Author:E. D. Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published: 2008-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

The boys hadn’t been exaggerating when they said that their village wasn’t far. After only a ten-minute walk, they came across a footpath that soon widened into a narrow lane. They passed an abandoned farmer’s hut with weeds growing waist-high in the doorway and no sign of any animals. Although they smelled wood burning, they didn’t see any other dwellings until they reached the village itself. The houses were made of sticks, with mud filling the chinks in between, and thatched roofs that needed to be repaired.

As they approached the first of the huts, they passed a man armed with a rusted bell and an old, battered sword. He was peering into the woods, but he looked away long enough to nod at the boys and give Millie and her friends a cursory glance before turning back to the trees.

“What’s he looking for?” Francis asked Seth, but the boy had seen someone else and was already waving and shouting.

“Pa!” called Seth. “Come see who we found!”

A group of men gathered in front of one of the huts turned around. One of the men spoke to the rest, then hobbled toward the children like an old man, using a knobbed stick to help him walk. “Who’ve you got there, son?” asked the man.

“We found them by the stream, Pa. We offered them a meal.”

Their father frowned. “Which stream are you talking about?” he asked. “You went into the forest again, didn’t you? How many times have I told you not to go—”

“These two are princesses, Pa! We heard the fella say it!”

“Princesses?” the father said in disbelief. “I’m sure he didn’t mean real princesses. You didn’t, did you?” he asked, turning to Francis.

“As a matter of fact …,” Francis began.

The look in his eyes must have been all the affirmation the boys’ father needed. Years seemed to melt away from his face and his voice became more animated as he said, “They’re real? Who would have believed it? Boys, go tell your mother to add the last of that goat meat to the pot. We got ourselves two real princesses for guests! We’re going to have us a party tonight!”

“If you don’t have enough food—,” said Millie.

“No, no, we’d be honored to have you stay, Your Highness,” the man said, his head nodding like a toy on a string. “It isn’t every day such fine young people as yourselves come to our village. My name’s Jacob,” he said as he escorted them into one of the huts. “And you’ve met my boys, Seth and John. That’s my wife, Bernia, there by the fireplace.” A matronly woman smiled and nodded, but it was Jacob who said, “So, what brings you to our part of the kingdom?”

“We’re on a quest to the Icy North,” said Francis.

“Well, then, a good hot meal is just what you need. You won’t be getting many of them up there. Now, you have a seat right here,” said Jacob, indicating the only bench in the poorly lit room, “and I’ll see about getting you something to eat.

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