Tegan and the Lonely Prince – Read and Print

By Rachel Dunstan Muller, copyright 2021

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Once upon a time there was a girl named Tegan, who lived in a little cottage in the forest with her grandmother. Now Tegan had a special gift: when she closed her eyes and listened, really listened, she could hear things that no one else could hear. She could hear butterflies flapping their wings, ants marching underground, even whales swimming in the deep blue sea.

But one night, as she was lying in her bed ready to fall asleep, she heard someone crying. “I think it’s Prince Pippin, up in the castle,” she told her grandmother.

“Well, if it is the prince,” said Tegan’s grandmother, “he has his own mother and father to look after him, and a whole army of servants besides. He’ll be fine. Now, close your eyes, my dear, and go to sleep.”

So Tegan closed her eyes, and tried to sleep. But it was no use. “I can’t fall sleep with the prince crying in my ears,” said Tegan. “I think he’s lonely,”

“The prince isn’t crying in your ears,” said her grandmother. “He’s way up in the castle. And how could he possibly be lonely? He’s got people waiting on him hand and foot, from morning ‘til night.”

“It’s not the same as having a real friend,” said Tegan.

“That may be so,” Tegan’s grandmother said, “but I’m sure there’s nothing we can do about it, certainly not tonight. You’ll just have to cover your ears and try to sleep as best you can.”

So Tegan closed her eyes, and pulled the covers up over her ears, and tried not to think about the prince. But she hardly slept a wink that night.

The next morning when she got up, she went straight to her grandmother. “Prince Pippin needs a friend. Let’s send Mrs. Cluck to the castle!” Now, Mrs. Cluck was a hen, a very friendly hen, who liked to follow Tegan around the yard whenever Tegan was playing or doing chores outside.

“Bring a chicken to the castle as a friend for the prince?” said Tegan’s grandmother. “Oh, my dear, they’ll laugh us all the way home.”

“But grandmother. He’s so lonely!” said Tegan. “We have to try something!”

So Tegan and her grandmother carried Mrs. Cluck up to the castle in a basket. And they explained to the royal guard who was guarding the drawbridge that Mrs. Cluck was a gift for Prince Pippin, a friend to keep him company.

Well, the royal guard did laugh. A hen for the prince! But it wasn’t his job to turn away gifts, so Mrs. Cluck was brought into the castle, and handed from guard, to servant, to the Queen herself. The Queen was a little surprized to receive a hen. But she did love Prince Pippin, and so she let him play with Mrs. Cluck. And the prince? He was delighted to have a new companion.

That night when Tegan went to bed, she closed her eyes and listened very carefully. She listened so carefully that she heard grass growing, stars twinkling – but she didn’t hear anyone crying in the castle. Prince Pippin was already fast asleep, breathing very peacefully.

For three more days and nights, everyone was happy. But then on the fourth day, Mrs. Cluck decided she missed Tegan, and the little cottage in the forest. So the clever hen flapped her wings and flew over the castle wall, then strutted and waddled and flapped all the way home.

Poor Prince Pippin was heartbroken. He cried and cried, late into the night – and poor Tegan – she didn’t sleep either.

The next morning when Tegan got up, she went straight to her grandmother. “Let’s send Juniper to the castle. She’s such a sweet little goat. She’ll make the prince a wonderful friend.”

“Bring a goat to the castle?” said Tegan’s grandmother. “Oh my dear, they’ll laugh us right out of the kingdom!”

But again, Tegan got her way. She tied a rope around Juniper’s neck, and she and her grandmother led the goat to the castle.

The royal guard did laugh when they arrived, just like before. But again, the little goat was passed from guard, to servant, to the Queen herself – and finally to Prince Pippin. And he was delighted to have a little goat for company.

For the next three nights Prince Pippin slept well, and Tegan slept well, and everyone was happy. But then on the fourth day, Juniper got homesick. When no one was looking, the little goat slipped out of the castle, and over the drawbridge, then trotted all the way home.

Poor Prince Pippin was up half the night crying, and poor Tegan was up half the night as well.

“The prince needs a friend, a real friend,” Tegan told her grandmother the next morning. “Not a hen, not a goat. He needs me.”

“Oh, Tegan,” said her grandmother. “Prince Pippin lives in a big, fancy castle, and his parents are the King and Queen. They’ll never let him be friends with a little girl from the forest.”

But Tegan went to the castle anyway, to find out for herself. When she told the royal guard she was there to be Prince Pippin’s friend – he laughed so hard, he nearly fell over. But he didn’t send Tegan away. Instead ,she was brought to a servant, and then another, and finally to the Queen herself. And because the Queen loved the Prince, and because he really was lonely, she let Tegan and Prince Pippin have a visit.

That visit was the beginning of a very special friendship. Prince Pippin had all kinds of wonderful games and toys; he’d just never had anyone his own age to share them with. Now he did. And Tegan – she taught Prince Pippin how to climb trees, and skip stones, and build secret forts deep in the woods. And when they were all tired out from their adventures, they would lie down in the grass and stare up at the clouds. And Tegan also taught Prince Pippin that if he closed his eyes and listened very carefully, he could hear those clouds floating ever so gently across the sky.

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