Francseca and the Wicked Giant

by

John Thomas

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Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived a beautiful little girl named Francesca. She was the fairest maiden in all the land, and by the time she was ten years old the word of her great beauty had reached the ears of the old king himself. He was so impressed by what he had heard that he made a special visit to the little village in which she lived, just to see her with his own eyes. With him he brought his queen, who was a vain and haughty woman, and their son the prince, a shy lad of twelve. They entered the village in a gorgeous procession. The horses pranced and curvetted; the robes of the royal ministers were stiff with gold and silver thread; reflections from the armor of the palace guard and from the great rubies in the king's crown dazzled the eyes of the simple villagers.

The old king dismounted and sat on a cushion under a canopy of white satin, with his queen at his right hand and the young prince at his left. While the soldiers scattered about in search of fodder for the horses and sheep for their own dinner, the lord chancellor located the humble cottage where Francesca lived with her parents. He led her before the king, bringing her father and mother too. The honest couple trembled and clung together in fear, never having seen a king before, but Francesca, who was as innocent and trusting as she was lovely, only smiled and kissed the fat old king on the chin.

The king was so struck by her beauty and her fetching ways that he said to his queen, "This is the loveliest maiden in my realm. She is fit to wear a crown. herself. We will take her in charge. Then, when she is sixteen, she shall marry our son and be his consort. I have spoken!"

The proud queen was less taken by Francesca than was her consort, but for the sake of appearances she inclined her head in agreement. The prince blushed and twiddled his thumbs. He hoped the whole embarrassing business might end so that he could go home to his books and his stamp collection.

When the sun went down there was a great feast on the village green. Afterwards, the royal company rode home by torchlight, taking with them Francesca and her frightened parents. Next day the villagers found that the king's visit had cost them all of their fodder and most of their food. They went hungry for weeks, and forever after that day was considered the high point in village history. Francesca's father and mother were installed in the servants' quarters at the

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