Free A Wedding for Wiglaf? by Kate McMullan Page A

Wiglaf.
    There was a sudden knock on the door.
    “Enter!” Mordred said.
    The door flew open. Erica ran into the office. Erica dressed as a boy so she could go to DSA. Everyone there called her Eric. Wiglaf was the only student who knew that she was a girl. And a royal one at that. She was none other than Princess Erica, daughter of Queen Barb and King Ken.
    “Sir!” Erica cried. “Come quickly! Torblad fell into the moat. And he cannot swim!”
    “Torblad, eh?” Mordred scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if he is all paid up. Let me check my records.” He opened a worn leather book. On the cover, it said:
    MORDRED’S MONEY
Private! Keep Out! No Peeking! I Mean It!
    “Hmmm. Just as I thought,” the headmaster muttered. “Torblad owes me for two semesters.” Mordred jumped up suddenly. “Egad!” he cried. “If he drowns, I’ll never see a penny of it! Wait here, Wiglaf. I’ll be back!” The headmaster raced from the room. Erica raced after him.
    Wiglaf turned to Angus. “Your uncle has gone mad!” he said. “Why else would he offer to buy me new clothes?”
    “Oh, he has something up his sleeve,” Angus said. “You can be sure of that.” He put down the boot he was polishing. He picked up Mordred’s copy of The Medieval Times. “Let’s see if Dragon Stabbers’ Prep beat Knights-R-Us in the jousting match,” he said.
    “Wait,” said Wiglaf. “What’s this on the front page?” Together, the boys read the headline story.

BELCHEENA WORTH BILLIONS
    Super-Rich Princess Seeks Husband
    EAST ARMPITTSIA Wednesday, June 8—
    Years ago, Princess Belcheena’s heart was broken. The love of her life rode off, never to be seen again. The princess shut herself up in her tower in Mildew Palace. She comforted herself by counting her gold. She has great mountains of it, so counting it took a long time. But last week, she finished. Now the princess has come out into the world again. And she is looking for a husband.
    “I have over twelve billion in gold coins,” the princess told reporters on Monday. “Now all I need is a special someone to help me spend it. Princes seek wives all the time,” she added. “Why shouldn’t a princess seek a husband?”
    There are three things the princess is looking for in her future groom. He must be a dragon slayer. He must be a redhead. And his name must begin with Princess Belcheena’s favorite letter of the alphabet—W.
    “The matchmaker who finds me the right husband will get a pot of gold,” the princess promised.
    Angus whistled. “Belcheena is loaded!”
    “I wonder why her true love rode away,” Wiglaf said.
    Just then the door swung open. Mordred was back. His hair and his tunic dripped with foul-smelling moat water.
    “Torblad is saved,” he growled. “But he had better pay up soon. Or I’ll throw the little rotter back into the moat myself.”
    Mordred glanced at Angus and Wiglaf. “Ah, you’ve seen the paper!” he said. “I guess my little surprise is out of the bag. Eh, Wiglaf?”
    “Your surprise, sir?” Wiglaf asked.
    “Yes, my boy,” Mordred said happily. “You are about to get married!”

Chapter 2
    E xcuse me, sir?“ Wiglaf managed. ”I don’t think I heard you right.“
    “You...are...about...to...get...married,” Mordred said again.
    Wiglaf looked over his shoulder. Mordred had to be speaking to someone behind him.
    But there was no one behind him.
    “You cannot mean Wiglaf,” Angus said.
    “Oh, but I do!” Mordred picked up the paper. “Belcheena says her husband must be a dragon slayer. And Wiglaf has slain two dragons.”
    “But only by accident, sir!” Wiglaf cried. “Surely the princess wants a husband who slew his dragons on purpose.”
    “Fiddle-faddle,” Mordred said. He glanced at the paper again. “Belcheena wants a redheaded husband. And you, Wiglaf, are a redhead.”
    “My hair is orange, sir,” Wiglaf pointed out.
    “Close enough,” Mordred growled. “Next you will tell me that Wiglaf