Teen Time

The Toothache and the New Math Tutor

The princess is lonely until one day things look promising . . .

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The Toothache and the New Math Tutor

         Princess Carolina had no brothers or sisters to play with, so she played by herself. Sometimes she chased her pet frog about the courtyard. Other times, when Herman was too tired to jump, Carolina had to entertain herself by counting the roses on the queen's rose bushes or the King's guards up on the tower. She often read books and played games, but she was still very lonely.

         "Couldn't you get a prince to come court me or a witch to tease me into tears?" Carolina would beg her parents.

         The king and queen would look at each other, wink, and laugh. They adored their daughter and had no intention of allowing her to fall in love and leave them, and unfortunately, there were no witches in the kingdom.

         "It's not that bad," the king told his daughter. "You can play with Herman."

         "Daddy, Herman is asleep, and besides, a princess should have a pet much more glamorous than a frog. I need a unicorn or a pet ogre."

         "Carolina," scolded her mother wagging her finger in the air in a most un-queen-like manner.

         "Gertrude," sighed the King. "You look enchanting when you do that."

         The queen threw him a kiss, and the king threw her a kiss . . . and Carolina rolled her eyes.

         "Mother, Father!" Carolina said, stamping her foot.

         The sound of a galloping horse pounding across the heavy wooden floor of the halls drew everyone's attention. The guards drew their swords, but they could not stop the knight in shining armor who thundered into the chamber on his mighty white stallion.

         "Who are you!" demanded the king, thrusting his daughter and wife behind him.

         Queen Gertrude wisely attempted to hold onto her daughter, but Carolina just had to look. She pulled away from her mother and peered around the king to stare at the knight on his fiery steed.

         Seeing the young girl's eyes, the handsome knight lifted up his visor and looked back. Then he smiled and bowed to the royal family.

         "I am Sir Suitable," he said, leaping off his horse.

         "Oh!" cried out Princess Carolina. "Isn't he wonderful?"

         Her mother hushed her, and peered out from her husband's rather large backside to stare at the knight. Then she smiled down at her daughter. "Why, yes. He rather reminds me of your father when he was young."

         The king overheard his daughter and wife. Briskly, he ordered them to sit down. Then he bid a guard to take the stallion away and ordered fresh apple juice to be served.

         Meanwhile, Sir Suitable and Princess Carolina were appraising each other. "In archery, I can hit the bull's eyes four times out of five," said the princess.

         "How wonderful," said the young knight with twin dimples in his cheeks that were perfectly charming. "I can read a five-hundred-page book in two hours."

         "Really," said the princess. "Well, I can run around the castle three times in under four minutes."

         "Impressive," the knight replied. "And I can solve fifteen long division problems faster than a dog can wag his tail forty-four times."

         "Wow!" said the princess. "That is amazing. But I can . . ."

         "Enough," said the king, drawing all their eyes. "Sir Suitable, you can prove your aptitude for reading and mathematics by checking over my office accounts. Then, after I see your calculations, I, perhaps, will be impressed as well."

         "But, Daddy," said Carolina, just getting warmed up to argue.

         "You heard your father, Carolina. Now go to bed," ordered her mother.

         "But it's not even dark, yet."

         "Good, then you can read a book," the queen said, waving a hand of dismissal.

         Carolina stood up, curtseyed to her parents and to the handsome knight and left the royal hall without even getting her apple juice.

         So, the young knight spent the rest of the evening and night going over the books of the castle figures. After all the sums and remainders were calculated, the king agreed that the young man could add and subtract quite properly. Suddenly a loud noise broke the silence of the night.

         "Ah rahhhhhhhh," screamed something from out in the yard.

         "What is that?" cried the king.

         "What is that?" cried Queen Gertrude, who'd been double-checking all the mathematics of her husband and the knight.

         "It's a dragon," the young knight stated firmly, drawing his sword.

         At that moment, the princess came running into the chamber, her long silky auburn locks tumbling in waves and curls almost to the ground, her feet bare, her robe clutched closely in fear.
"What was that sound?" she cried.

                    "Ah rahhhhhhhh," the red-gold dragon roared, and he walked right into the royal accounting room.

         "Oh, dear," said Queen Gertrude.

         "Oh, no," said the king.

         "Oh, poor baby," said Princess Carolina, and she skipped over toward the beautiful red-gold dragon and put her arm around his front paw, which was just at her height.

         "What are you doing?" cried the knight. "The dragon will eat you!"

         "No, he won't. Will you Mr. Dragon?"

         "Ah rahhhhhhhh," the dragon roared again, but he carefully turned his head so the flames did not catch the princess' hair on fire.

         "Oh, poor baby. Do you have a toothache?" the princess asked him.

         The dragon nodded his head, trying not to cry.

         "I'll kiss it for you and make it all better. OK?" said the princess.

         The dragon lowered his head so she could kiss him, but even after that, he was still in pain.

         "Well, it just so happens," said the young knight, "that I have studied dentistry. I can pull out that bothersome tooth."

         So the dragon lowered his head and allowed the knight to remove the painful back molar. Then the princess kissed the dragon's muzzle again, and it was time for all of them to go to bed.

         The dragon promised to come back and play. The knight promised to come back and tutor Princess Carolina in mathematics. And so, with the castle nicely quiet again, the royal family went off to bed, Princess Carolina's face radiant with smiles, thinking about the fun times she was going to have with her two new friends.

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