THE PRINCESS AND THE PEDDLER




Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a beautiful queen with golden corkscrew curls and striking sapphire eyes whom everyone loved dearly. The only trouble with this queen was that she had a very vivid imagination and was forever in a daydream.

The palace staff were forever rushing around her, trying to prevent her from knocking things over and walking into pillars.

One beautiful summer’s day, the queen was leaning out of the window of the palace’s tallest tower, singing with the crow: when all of a sudden she heard a great clashing and bashing coming from downstairs.



Of course, this was only the sound of the cook smashing up some plates in a sulk but the queen imagined that it could only be the sound of a gang of evil robbers climbing the palace walls in order to kidnap her and thieve her crown jewels and stamp collection.

This thought made her incredibly cross indeed so she leany right out of the window to give them a good telling off. Tragically, she fell to her death, leaving behind her beloved husband King Wolfram the great and their beautiful daughter, Princess Haitlyn-Lilly.

Princess Haitlyn –Lilly resembled the late queen in many ways and King Wolfram spoilt her rotten. If they were out shopping and the princess saw something that took her fancy, she would throw an almighty tantrum, which involved her lying face down on the floor and kicking and screaming.

This obviously did the families reputation no good what so ever and when people read about these events in the newspapers; they became increasingly worried for the future of their kingdom. So the king made sure he bought the princess everything she could ever want and she grew up to be incredibly conceited and arrogant.



In a village not so very far away, there lived an old peddler who sold apples for a living and lived with his seven sons in a tiny home, which merely consisted of one room that they all had to share but none of them ever complained. Sadly though, the youngest of the sons, whose name was Seabert caught smallpox and was very ill. The family were all very concerned as they had no money to pay for medicine.

The middle son, who was called Dagwood was a very kind and considerate soul who milked Dame Butter-Piller over the road’s cow for her and helped the washerwoman with her scrubbing but to his misfortune, he happened to be incredibly ugly with a large hooked nose and ears like beer mug handles.

One day he was in the forest, gathering twigs for a bonfire, when he noticed the palace standing proudly upon a hill and decided that it wouldn’t hurt too much if he asked the king to lend him some money, after all they were in need and the king happened to be incredibly rich.



Meanwhile Princess Haitlyn-Lilly was sat at the breakfast table in a sulk.

“What is this loathsome broth?’ She cried, dunking her hands into her perfectly prepared porridge and flicking it at her maid.

Luckily, the staff at the palace were incredibly used to this sort of behaviour and did their best to keep the princess in good spirits. So the maid replied with a smile,

“It’s your porridge me darlin’ with honey, mmmm!” she grinned, rubbing her tummy and licking her lips.

The princess screwed her face up in disgust.

“I didn’t order this filth, you are fully aware that I detest porridge!” She cried, throwing the bowl onto the floor. “Now clean this up and fetch me a croissant!” She ordered.

The maid did as she was told and fetched her mop, whilst the princess crammed the entire croissant into her mouth and then spat it out.

Before anyone had time to ask her why, Pedro the dressmaker entered the room and presented the princess with a beautiful golden gown with an embroidered hem.

“Here you are ma’am, your father said you would like this one, it’s the lat