What could a humble peasant offer a lofty, but dour, crown prince? Many years ago, in a kingdom far away, there lived a young prince. This prince was very handsome, and everybody in the kingdom loved him. The prince, being a good man, responded in kind and treated everybody fairly. But, much to his father’s confusion and his mother’s disappointment, there was one thing the prince would never do -- smile. Finally, unable to tolerate his son’s dour expression any longer, the king sent out a decree. He dispatched messengers to every corner of his country, and runners to all the neighboring kingdoms. The first person to make his hard-faced child smile would earn the right to marry him. Unfortunately for the king, things did not go as planned.

The Prince Who Never Smiled

Dexter was a clever young man. Everybody in the nearby village knew he was far too clever for his own good. Whenever anybody told him he was clever, it angered and saddened him. He wasn’t clever enough to save his home or his land. Finally, he decided if he was so clever, he would be able to do something about it.


So early one morning, Dexter put on his best clothes and kissed his mother goodbye. He didn’t know exactly how far away the castle was, but he resolved not to stop until he had an audience with the King himself.


His journey was much shorter than he anticipated.


Chapter 5