Theanore looked at the pretty doll before her and she squealed. Her hand reached out to touch the pink frilly dress, and she stamped her feet. She looked up at her mother with big, moss green, eyes and pointed at the doll.

“For me, mommy?” Asked Theanore excitedly.

“For you, my dear. Do you know how to name it?” Asked Esmer.

“Princess Strawberry!” Said Theanore excitedly. Behind her, Archibald, Marinus, and Mary were playing with their soldiers. Making them fight in a mock battle. Smashing them together time and time again.

“Well, that is a nice name, Thea,” said Esmer, relieved it was not something that began or ended in bell. Theanore liked naming things with that word, and it was getting confusing pretty quickly.

“I will now leave you to get to know Princess Strawberry, Thea. Make sure you don’t let her fight with the soldiers. She is made of porcelain, and they are made of wood,” said Esmer, and she petted Theanore’s hair. Then she went back inside the house to help Crassus make dinner.

“Hello, Princess Strawberry!” Said Theanore. Then she pressed a button that her mother had told her connected to her doll’s voice box and waited.

“Hello!” Said the doll, blinking her eyes open.

“Princess Strawberry, do you like your name?” Asked Theanore, her eyes twinkling.

“It is a pretty name. Did you come up with it?” Asked Princess Strawberry.

“I sure did! Because you have such a lovely pink dress and your hair is red!” Said Theanore.

The doll blinked her eyes again mechanically. Then she repeated herself.

“Princess Strawberry? Is something wrong?” Asked Theanore, her smile dimming.

“The doll probably can’t say anymore or do anything else, big sis,” said Archibald, his toy soldier clutched in his hands.

“There is a sign on her back, Thea. Turn her around, so we can see what it says,” said Marinus. He did not trust something that had no brain, but he decided that his paranoia was unfounded. This was Theanore’s doll. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Hm, it says here you can record lines in the doll,” said Theanore as she read the sign. “I am a pretty princess! Can you tell that, Princess Strawberry?” Asked Theanore.

“I am a pretty princess! Can you tell that, Princess Strawberry?” Said the doll in a monotone voice.

“Just the first part, Princess Strawberry,” tried to correct her, Theanore. But the doll just repeated what she just said.

“I love you, Thea!” Said Marinus, smiling. His smile widened when the doll repeated the sentence.

“See, its easy. Don’t talk to her as if she is a person, and she repeats just fine,” said Marinus, proud to have figured it out.

“The toy soldiers are better. They can fight,” said Mary and Archibald began nodding in agreement.

“Do you all want to be the honor guard to Princess Strawberry’s tea party?” Asked Theanore. She wanted to play with her family, but she felt it would be better not to endanger her doll.

“Will she get snatched by a dragon during the party?” Asked Archibald. Dragons were notorious princesses’ snatchers, and Archibald wanted to test his soldier.

“Maybe. But I don’t have a toy dragon,” said Theanore. She looked pleadingly at the three and they nodded.

“We’ll play even without a dragon,” said Marinus. Then they all went and found a puddle. They scooped mud and began making cups and candy out of it. Once they were done, they washed their hands in the puddle and dried them in their handkerchiefs.

Theanore arrayed the cups and the candy on the verdant grass and twirled Princess Strawberry.

“I, Princess Strawberry, do hereby announce my first tea party!” Said Theanore and the doll repeated. The other three made their soldiers clap their hands and had them stand behind the doll to guard her.

“Mm, yam-yam. Tasty candy and sweet tea. Compliments to the chef,” said Theanore, and the other three giggled.

“Your Highness, how would you address the merchant union of the Apple Grotto?” Asked Marinus in his best imitation of a lord’s voice. Theanore hid her mouth behind her hand and spoke.

“So far, there are 359 members and 199 potential members and 23 people who flat out refused. I think with such a large range of goods, the Apple Grotto has a chance at winning the competition,” the doll repeated her words, and Theanore giggled. Princess Strawberry was so silly to repeat everything people said.

“Your strawberry Highness, can we, your loyal soldiers, get mermaid made goods for our valiant guard duty? General Archibald would like a coral sword!” Said Archibald.

Theanore made the doll raised her hand and then wave it.

“Corals die too easily after they are broken. General Archibald will just have to stare at the coral in the pool cavern for now,” repeated the doll and Archibald sighed.

“It was worth a shot,” said the boy with a shrug.

“Mommy, mommy, will Princess Strawberry be attacked by fairies any time soon? This is boring,” said Mary. Theanore considered it and then picked up a fallen leaf from the ground and fluttered it around the doll.

“Oh, no! A fairy has attacked Princess Strawberry! Soldiers, help!” Said Theanore as she continued to flutter the leaf around the doll.

As one, the soldiers flew towards the leaf. Mary’s soldier knocked it out of Theanore’s hands, and all three wooden soldiers began stamping at it. Theanore looked green at the display.

“Stop it! Stop! You are killing the fairy!” Screamed Theanore, tears in her eyes. The three children looked at her apologetically. The leaf was torn in places and crumbled. Theanore cradled it in her hands as if it was a real fairy.

“I am so sorry you went through this,” she told the leaf, and she kissed it. “We have to bury the fairy.”

All three nodded, and sticks were used to dig a hole for the leaf near the puddle. Then Theanore placed the leaf down and placed mud over it.

“From now on, be kinder,” told Theanore her family. “And use less force.”

The three nodded and then went back to whacking each other’s soldier. Theanore took Princess Strawberry and petted her hair. Maybe she could find more peaceful playmates that would appreciate her doll as much as she did.