The Clown Princess

By Dustin Slavens

Thanks to a family feud and a vengeful spell, Crystal is stuck performing as a clown for a grumpy old man's circus-a fitting role, now that she resembles one. With the help of her nanny and the circus animals, she learns to be confident in herself despite her unusual appearance. She also learns that she m

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dustin Slavens
• Release date: Jan 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798989652129

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THE CLOWN PRINCESS

Authorship Copyright © 2024 by Dustin Slavens

Illustrations Copyright © 2024 by Sara Kuba

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

FIRST EDITION

THE CLOWN PRINCESS

Written by Dustin Slavens

Illustrated by Sara Kuba

CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom, there lived a little boy named Victor. Victor was a typical little boy, and enjoyed doing all the things that little boys do. His favorite was pretending to be a knight battling a fierce dragon. He enjoyed playing in the mud and catching frogs—that is, when he could get away with it. Victor was also very curious; which young boys tend to be. He loved to learn new things and always wanted to know how things worked. Although curiosity was a good trait to have, it did get him into trouble from time to time. Yes, Victor was just like other little boys his age, however there was one thing that made him very different. Victor was a prince.

Prince Victor was the son of King Friedrich and Queen Isabella. Being a prince, Victor had to keep to a very strict schedule, so he rarely got to play like other little boys. He started every morning the same way. First, he would have breakfast in the castle’s kitchen. The kitchen staff always enjoyed his visits. Victor would ask questions about the recipes the chefs were preparing and the ingredients they were using. The chefs would tell Victor stories about all the royal families they’d had the privilege to cook for. They would also tell him of their adventures as they traveled the world in search of new herbs and spices to create the perfect recipes. Victor enjoyed hearing their stories, even though he knew they were not entirely true.

On his way out of the kitchen, Victor would always grab some bread or table scraps. As he made his way through the courtyard, he would be greeted by the dogs of the local shop keepers. Over time, he had trained them to line up and wait their turn. Victor would call each dog up by name, as if he were summoning his knights. Sir George the bulldog, step forward for your reward. He would say. Sir Fritz the schnauzer. Sir Lazy the hound. And so on and so on. They would all play for a while until Victor finally had to go.

Prince Victor would then make his way over to see the young squires training to be knights. He would sit and watch as they trained in swordsmanship and combat. Often he would put on armor and ask the squires do battle with him. Of course, Victor always won his duels. Although he thought this was play, King Friedrich set up this time intentionally. As Victor grew older, the time with the squires turned into actual training. King Friedrich made sure Victor had all the proper training he would need to become a future king.

Victor spent the rest of his day with his nanny and teacher, Regina. Miss Regina, as she was known, was a very intelligent woman. She was a brilliant mathematician, skilled in geography and science, and was fluent in seven languages. Her job was to provide Prince Victor the formal education he would need to be king. When Victor would become bored with his lessons, he would often ask, Why do I need to learn all of this? I am going to be the king one day. Miss Regina would always answer him in the same way. You are learning all of this because you are going to be the king one day. A good king can lead with his sword, but a great king leads with his mind.

Victor’s favorite part of the day was late afternoon, just before the evening meal. This was the time he got to spend with his father. King Friedrich would tell his son about all the official business he had conducted that day. Sometimes the king would allow Victor sit in the corner and listen while he was having meetings. King Friedrich would always say, Pay attention, Victor. You will need to know all of this someday.

One day, just like any other day, Victor finished his studies with Miss Regina then went to see his father. On that day, however, King Friedrich was meeting with Boris, the wizard of the kingdom. Boris was a very tall man with dark, sunken eyes and a long black beard. He wore a black hooded robe that made him look even bigger and more intimidating. Just as Victor entered the room his father said, Ah, there you are, Victor. I wanted you to be here for this.

Must the child be here, Your Majesty? Boris said in a low, growly voice.

King Friedrich stopped what he was doing and looked at Boris. He paused for a moment, which made everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. Then the king walked up to Boris and said in a low but stern voice, My kingdom will one day be Victor’s kingdom. My meetings will one day be Victor’s meetings. My wizard will one day be Victor’s wizard.

Nothing else needed to be said. Boris realized the severity of his mistake. Of course, Your Majesty. Please accept my humble apology, he said.

As the meeting continued, Prince Victor watched Boris’ every move. He was fascinated by this tall, mysterious man. Victor was also very curious about wizardry. Once the meeting was over, Victor said, Father, could I please visit Boris’ workshop? Boris froze as he waited for the king’s reply. King Friedrich picked up his son and said, Boris’ workshop is no place for a boy your age. When you are old enough, I will take you there myself. I promise. Now, go get ready for supper.

Several weeks later, Prince Victor started his morning just like any other day. He had breakfast in the castle’s kitchen and listened to the chefs’ stories. He played with the shopkeepers’ dogs, and he did battle with the young squires. He also spent the afternoon working on his lessons with Miss Regina. On this day, however his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Victor decided that before going to see his father, he would go explore the wizard’s workshop, even though he was told not to.

The workshop was at the end of a long corridor in the castle’s dungeon. Victor made his way down the dimly lit hallway and found that the workshop door was partially open. He peeked inside and saw shelves filled with bottles, books, and boxes. These must be the ingredients for the wizard’s spells, Victor thought to himself. There was also a black cauldron hanging over a fire. Victor was curious to find out what else was inside the room. He pushed the door open a little further and looked around. There was no one there, so he decided to go in.

Victor picked up one of the bottles and opened it. It smelled terrible. He opened another and it smelled like honeysuckle. I am the wizard of the kingdom, Victor proclaimed as he opened more bottles. He decided to make his own potion—one that would make him big and strong like the knights. He began to pour bottles into the cauldron as he danced around the room. I will be the biggest and strongest knight in the entire kingdom, Victor decreed.

Suddenly, Boris appeared in the room. He grabbed Victor by the arm and pulled the prince towards him. What are you doing in my workshop? Your father told you not to come here! Boris screamed.

Although he was scared, Victor knew Boris couldn’t do anything