The Puppy Prince

by Melody Mews

  The Announcement Dragon

  Itty Bitty Princess Kitty was concentrating very hard. Her legs twitched as she focused on the platform across from her. It was so far away! But she’d seen her parents, the Queen and King of Lollyland, make this jump many times.

  You can do this, Itty told herself.

  Just then, something outside the window caught her eye. She blinked hard.

  Was that… a dragon?

  Itty leaped down and raced out of the climbing room. She skidded to a stop in the grand hall, where her parents were standing in front of the palace doors.

  “Mom! Dad!” Itty took a deep breath. “There’s a DRAGON outside! Run!”

  Queen Kitty smiled. “Yes, darling,” she purred. “No need to worry—or run. It’s an announcement dragon from Wagmire!”

  “An announcement dragon?” Itty squeaked. In Lollyland, announcements were made by fairies. Tiny fairies who blew miniature trumpets and did not like to be kept waiting.

  The doors opened and a huge dragon entered. He bowed gracefully. And then, to Itty’s surprise, the dragon began to sing!

  “Greetings from the royal family of Wagmire,

  The King, Queen, and Pip

  are excited to visit

  Lollyland.…”

  The dragon paused dramatically.

  “They can’t wait to see yooooou!”

  With that, the dragon handed the King a scroll, bowed again, and flew away.

  “They arrive on Friday!” the King boomed after reading the scroll.

  “That doesn’t give us much time to prepare!” the Queen exclaimed.

  “Who is Pip?” Itty asked.

  “We must make lists!” the Queen cried.

  “Who is Pip?” Itty repeated.

  “There’s no time for lists!” the King replied.

  “WHO IS PIP?” Itty yelled.

  That got their attention. Itty knew it wasn’t polite to yell, but sometimes a kitty had to be loud to be heard.

  “Pip is Prince of Wagmire,” her mother explained. “He’s your age. I’m sure you will get along marvelously.”

  A prince was coming to Lollyland? Itty couldn’t wait to tell her friends!

  Gossip in Goodie Grove

  A little while later, the Lollyland mermaids sang three notes, which meant it was almost time for Itty to meet her friends.

  Itty raced out the door. Luckily, there was a low-hanging cloud nearby. Itty whistled. As the cloud settled to the ground, she jumped aboard.

  “To Goodie Grove!”

  Slowly the cloud drifted up and away. Itty loved traveling by cloud. The cloud she was on was very fluffy, so her ride was slow. The gray rain clouds moved superfast—for good reason!—but today was a beautiful sunny day.

  Finally the cloud parked at Goodie Grove and Itty climbed out. The air smelled like strawberries, bubblegum, and birthday cake. Goodie Grove was home to the most delicious treats in Lollyland.

  Luna Unicorn, Chipper Bunny, and Esme Butterfly were already there, munching on marshmallow sticks.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Itty said.

  “That’s okay.” Luna handed Itty a marshmallow stick.

  Itty grinned. Luna always remembered to get an extra treat for a friend.

  “I have exciting news,” Itty said between bites of gooey marshmallow. “The royal family of Wagmire is coming to Lollyland! Including a prince named Pip!”

  “Best. News. Ever!” Luna squealed. Itty, Chipper, and Esme waited for the spray of glitter that always came from Luna’s horn when she was excited.

  And waited some more.

  “Are you out of glitter?” Chipper asked.

  “No, I’ve been practicing,” Luna said. “I can control it if I…” Luna giggled and a stream of glitter spurted out. “Oopsie! If I concentrate,” she finished.

  “Luckily, we love glitter,” Itty laughed.

  “Tell us about Prince Pip,” Luna said a moment later.

  “I don’t know much about him yet,” Itty admitted. “But I want his visit to be perfect.”

  “We can show him around Lollyland,” Esme suggested.

  “And bring him to our favorite places,” Chipper added.

  “Great ideas!” Itty nodded. “I’ll share my climbing structure with him and get kitty treats of every flavor.”

  “What if he’s not a cat?” Esme asked.

  Itty paused. She hadn’t thought of that. “Well, that’s okay. Everyone likes kitty treats and climbing, right?”

  The Castle Prepares

  On the cloud ride home, Itty thought more about the prince’s visit. Her friends had reminded her that, actually, not everyone loved climbing and kitty treats. Itty needed to find out more about Prince Pip.

  Inside the palace, preparations were already underway. The royal decorators, a trio of stylish penguins, were near the royal dining room. Itty headed over to say hello and ask if they had seen her mom.

  “Hello, Princess!” exclaimed the head decorator penguin. “The Queen is outside with Mr. Bobtail. They are about to unveil the royal guesthouse.”

  “Thank you!” Itty said with a smile. She didn't want to be late! Mr. Bobtail was the royal architect. With a little help from him, the royal guesthouse could be magically transformed into the perfect home for its guests. Itty had seen it turned into a rain forest tree house for her jaguar cousins and a sleek, modern cave for a bear friend of the Queen’s. Seeing the guesthouse transformed should tell her a lot about the prince!

  Itty joined her mom just as the royal architect was having his bird assistants remove the tarp from the guesthouse. Itty held her breath. The guesthouse was revealed and it was…

  A massive doghouse!

  That meant the royal family of Wagmire was a family of dogs. And that the prince was a puppy!

  The doghouse was impressive. It was a shimmering gold-plated structure and the roof sparkled with gemstones shaped like dog bones.

  Itty realized her friends were right—this prince probably would not like climbing or eating kitty treats. Itty tried to think of what a puppy might enjoy instead. She knew dogs liked to dig holes and run around. Didn’t they like to chase cats? Well, she’d try not to think about that.

  Itty was glad she had a couple of days to come up with ideas. She had to make sure the puppy prince had the best time in Lollyland!

  The Prince of Wagmire

  Itty couldn’t believe it was Friday already! The King and Queen had just finished their inspection of the royal guesthouse. The royal family of Wagmire was due to arrive any moment.

  “Itty, it was so thoughtful of you to have a dog bone dispenser placed in the prince’s room,” the Queen said.

  “Well, I love my bedroom treat dispenser, so I thought Pip would like having one too.”

  That wasn’t the only thing Itty had done to make the prince feel comfortable. She’d also stocked his room with every book she could think of that a puppy might enjoy. She hoped Pip liked to read as much as she did.

  “I think that’s them!” the King cried, pointing to the sky. Itty looked up and saw an enormous spaceship hovering above. As it got closer, Itty realized it wasn’t a spaceship at all. It was a giant, flying dog bed!

  “That’s what I call traveling in style!” Itty exclaimed as the dog bed came to a gentle stop on the palace lawn.

  A few moments later, the royal family of Wagmire emerged. Itty stood on her tippy-toes, trying to get a better look at Prince Pip.

  “Welcome to Lollyland!” Itty’s mom said warmly. “This is King Kitty, and this is our daughter, Itty Bitty Princess Kitty.”

  Itty smiled and curtsied. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “You can call me Itty. All my friends do.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Itty,” the King of Wa
gmire said.

  “Please meet our son, Prince Pip of Wagmire,” said the Queen of Wagmire. “She can call you Pip though, right son?”

  Pip bowed stiffly. “Nice to meet you, Princess Itty,” he said. “I think princes and princesses should always use their royal titles,” he added.

  “Oh, okay. That’s fine. Welcome to Lollyland, Prince Pip,” Itty replied. She waited for the prince to say something else, but apparently that was all he had to say.

  A Not-So-Perfect Day

  As the sun rose the next morning, Itty stretched sleepily. It had taken her a while to fall asleep. She’d been worrying about getting off on the wrong paw with the prince. But today was a new day, and she would fix whatever had happened.

  “After breakfast I’ll take you on a tour of Lollyland,” Itty said to Pip. “And you can meet my friends.”

  “A day of exploring?” Prince Pip considered it. “I guess that sounds okay.”

  “You’ll love it!” Itty promised.

  But later, as Itty and Pip arrived at Starfish Falls, she knew the prince had not loved anything so far.

  First there had been his reaction to traveling by cloud.

  “Is this a royal transportation vehicle?” he’d asked.

  “Nope,” Itty had replied. “Everyone in Lollyland travels by cloud. I bet it’s just like flying on your dog bed!”

  “I doubt that,” the prince replied. “Our hovercraft has the latest technology. And only the royal family uses it.”

  Then, when the cloud landed at Goodie Grove, the prince wouldn’t get off.

  “The best food in Lollyland is here!” Itty assured him.

  But the prince shook his head. “I prefer food from the royal kitchen.”

  Itty knew Starfish Falls was her last chance. She was glad her friends were there. It was impossible not to have fun with Esme, Luna, and Chipper around.

  Itty introduced her friends to the prince.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Luna said in a serious voice.

  “Luna, are you okay?” Itty asked.

  Luna darted away. Moments later, they heard the “poof” sound of a glitter explosion. “Sorry!” Luna called. “I didn’t want to glitter the prince!”

  Itty and her friends laughed. Even the prince smiled a little.

  “Let’s go swimming!” Chipper exclaimed. As her friends raced to the water, Itty turned to Pip. “The water here is always the perfect temperature. And…” Itty paused. Now Pip was frowning. “Oh, do you not want to swim?”

  Pip shook his head. “A prince must not mess up his fur. Are you sure you want to get yours all dirty and wet?”

  Itty was sure she didn’t mind getting her fur wet. But she wasn’t sure she should leave the prince. Then again, her friends were having so much fun! She asked Pip, “Do you mind if I take a quick dip before we head back?”

  The prince shrugged. “I’ll wait here.”

  It All Makes Sense

  After a short swim with her friends, Itty hurried back to Pip, who was just where she had left him. Only now he was reading a book.

  “Is that a book from your room?” Itty asked, hoping Pip would say he loved the books she had chosen.

  “No. This is the royal rule book. Is it time to go back now?”

  “Sure,” Itty replied. She waved goodbye to her friends and hailed the nearest cloud.

  Itty and Pip rode in silence for a few moments. The prince continued to read while Itty tried to think of something to say. “When I became princess a few weeks ago, I didn’t get a royal rule book. When did you get yours?”

  The prince looked up and, for the first time since Itty had met him, he had a huge smile on his face. “You became a princess a few weeks ago? And you didn’t get a royal rule book? That explains it!”

  “It does?” Itty asked.

  “Yes, of course!” Pip nodded excitedly. “Now it all makes sense!”

  “It does?” Itty repeated.

  Pip’s tail wagged. “I’ve been a prince for a year, so I know all the rules. But if you just became a princess, and didn’t receive a royal rule book, then of course you wouldn’t know how to act like a princess!”

  Itty wasn’t sure what to say. Pip thought she didn’t know how to act like a princess? She couldn’t help but feel upset. But this was the happiest she’d seen Pip, and he was her guest, after all.

  “So, um, what do you mean I don’t act like a princess?” Itty asked.

  “It’s all in here,” Pip said, handing the book to Itty. “Now that you’re a princess, you can’t do normal kitty things like ride in clouds and swim at the falls. But don’t worry, Princess Itty. My rule book will teach you everything you need to know.”

  The Royal Rule Book

  That night Itty read Pip’s rule book before bed. It wasn’t very much fun to read, but Itty had promised Pip. She tossed and turned all night, thinking about the royal rules.

  A princess must always wear royal attire.

  A princess must never mess up her fur.

  A princess shall not do chores.

  And there were many, many more rules.

  When it was time to get ready for school the next morning, instead of choosing one of the simple dresses she usually wore, Itty selected a velvet gown.

  “Itty, are you sure you want to wear that fancy dress to school?” the Queen asked gently.

  Pip, who was seated across the table finishing his breakfast, smiled at Itty. She smiled back.

  “Mom, a princess must always wear royal attire.”

  The Queen was about to respond, but just then, the Lollyland mermaids sang eight notes. “Time for school!” the King announced. “Itty, did you make your bed?”

  “Um, no,” Itty said. “A princess shall not do chores.”

  The King and Queen both frowned. “Itty, you know you are responsible for making your bed,” said the Queen.

  Itty didn’t know what to say, so she gathered her things and headed for school.

  The rest of Itty’s day wasn’t any easier than breakfast had been. At recess, she realized she couldn’t play on the slide or run around. Her gown was way too stiff. Not to mention itchy.

  “Itty, why are you dressed like that?” Luna asked.

  “It’s royal attire,” Itty explained.

  “Are you going to change for Goodie Grove after school?” Chipper asked.

  Itty shook her head. “I can’t go to Goodie Grove. It’s not a royally approved location.”

  “But you always hang out with us after school,” Esme said, seeming a little sad.

  “Itty, what’s going on?” Luna asked. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

  As Itty looked at each of her friends, she had to admit… she didn’t feel like herself one bit.

  Itty’s Royal Rules

  So Itty went to Goodie Grove with her friends. But she only stayed for a bit. She had to get home and do her chores. Plus, she wanted to talk to Pip.

  When Pip saw Itty, he noticed her gown was splattered with maple syrup from her trip to Goodie Grove.

  “Your royal attire!” he cried.

  “I have something to show you. Come with me,” Itty said to Pip.

  Itty took Pip up to her room. She invited him to sit on her magic beanbag chair.

  “This doesn’t look like a royal throne,” Pip said.

  “Just try it!” Itty replied.

  The prince looked a little unsure, but he finally sat in the chair.

  “Oohh, this is comfy,” he said as he sank into the squishy beans. But then he sprang to his feet. “I don’t think that’s a royal chair. Let me check my book.…”

  “Pip,” Itty said, and when she noticed Pip frowning, she began again. “Prince Pip, I tried following all the rules today and it was… terrible. How do you ever have any fun?”

  “Princes don’t get to have fun,” Pip replied. “You just don’t understand yet. I used to have fun, before I became a prince. I had diving contests into Magic Mountain Lake with my friends and we’
d explore secret areas of Wagmire and—” The prince stopped himself. The things he used to do weren't meant for a Prince. “Never mind. That was the old me. This is the new me.”

  “But that’s silly!” Itty exclaimed. “There are no rules that say you can’t have fun!”

  Pip shrugged.

  Itty could tell Pip didn’t believe her. She looked around her room and suddenly had an idea.

  Itty walked over to the case that held her shooting star. It glowed softly. “This shooting star made me a princess,” Itty told Pip. “The day it arrived was the best day of my life.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Pip said.

  “Thank you,” Itty replied. She looked at her star and spoke from her heart. “I love being a princess,” she told Pip. “But I’m the kind of princess I want to be. One who does regular kitty things, like play with my friends and ride on clouds. And I… I don’t think that makes me a bad princess.”