She looked up at him and smiled, and he felt a rush of relief as though they’d both made it back to terra firma.
“Ah, yes,” she said, “the little prince. Where were we?”
“I’ll tell you where we were,” he grumbled. “The dude has a swollen, enormous, and repulsive head. He can’t run, he can’t even walk without toppling over, and no one wants to bathe or feed him anymore. As a matter fact, he’s so repulsive, no one wants to even lookat him, including this mysterious stranger who refuses to come to the castle.”
She giggled. “Right. Well, every command given by the little prince was refused by the stranger. So, finally the little prince asked politely if the stranger would please come to the castle, and the stranger did.
“The little prince was surprised when he saw the stranger. He was expecting a big, strong man, perhaps someone who he might befriend and knight as he had Knight Dario. But the stranger was nothing but an ordinary girl.”
Rocco sighed. “Should have seen it coming.”
“The little prince wondered how this girl could have managed to make the treacherous and difficult voyage to his remote kingdom.
“So, he asked her. And her answer was simple.
“She told him it was because she wanted to. And if she wanted to do something, she did it.
“So, the little prince asked her if she wanted to bathe him. He told her all the women in the castle did so and considered it a great honor. But she told him no, she didn’t want to, and she left.
“The next day, he asked her again to come to the castle. This time, he asked if she wanted to feed him. She gave him a funny look and shook her head. But she told him she was hungry and that she would eat lunch with him, but he would have to feed himself.
“The little prince didn’t like this answer, but he thought she must want to spend time with him or she wouldn’t have suggested having lunch. So, they sat down to a splendid table and ate.”
“Did they have casonsei?” Rocco asked.
Nico tilted her head, looking up at him and smiling. “They did. And chocolate.”
“And jelly doughnuts.”
“And jelly doughnuts,” she echoed.
“After lunch,” Nico continued, “the little prince asked her if she would like to stay. ‘And do what?’ she asked. The little prince thought. She had told him she didn’t want to bathe him and she didn’t want to feed him.
“‘You can dress me,’ he said.
“‘But you’re already dressed,’ she replied.
“‘But I’ll need to change into my pajamas before I go to sleep,’ he said.
“‘But it isn’t even dark out yet,’ she said.
“The little prince glanced out the window. It was true. He hadn’t thought about that. ‘Well, then you can leave now,’ he said, ‘and come back later when it’s dark.’
“She shook her head. ‘No, I don’t want to,’ she replied. ‘You can dress yourself.’
“He sighed, but before she left, he asked if she would come again tomorrow, and she agreed.
“When she came the next day, he asked if she would read to him. She said he could read himself. But she would sit and read a book alongside him. So, they sat by the fire and each of them read a book.
“The next day, he asked if she would take him for a walk. He told her that he needed to be wheeled around in a special carriage, given his enormous head. She told him she didn’t want to, and he would have to walk himself.
“She told him she thought he could manage it because it looked like his head had gotten smaller.
“‘I’ll walk alongside you, and we’ll see,’ she said.
“And much to the little prince’s surprise, she was right. It was true. His head had gotten smaller, and he was able to walk.
“Other people noticed his head had gotten smaller too, and the women in the castle wanted once again to bathe him, to feed him, to do everything they could for him. But he told them he could do it himself. And he thought he preferred to do it himself.
