“Hey, why did you order everyone to eat cake, anyway?” Lily asked the Queen.

  What followed was a teenage girl’s complaining!

  “Ugh, those dumb bakers said they were tired of making cakes! Something about everyone else wanting to eat bread, but, like, I’m the Queen, you know? And look at Mimi, she’s too delicate and precious to be eating commoner food like bread! We need only the softest, most lovely cakes! So I figured, well, if everyone was eating cake, then the bakers would do what I wanted! And then this whole Revolution started, it’s, like, super cap, you feel? Very sus, much treason…”

  Oh no!

  Queen Marie was a teenage girl.

  Like Hazel!

  She was starting to talk in that secret code!

  “They’re all just low-key salty, big yikes…”

  “Marie, dear, I do not like it when you speak in that way, meow.”

  Mimi huffed elegantly!

  “Ah!”

  Marie sat up straight.

  “Ahem, well, how much of that did you understand, Lily?”

  Lily was put on the spot!

  But…

  She put on her teenager slang thinking hat!

  “Uh…” she began. “So the bakers wanted to make bread, and they weren’t doing what you wanted, so you ordered everyone to eat cake, and the Revolution started…”

  Marie nodded.

  “That’s the gist of it, yes.”

  Mr. Cat meowed.

  “Mrow, have the Revolutionaries made any demands?”

  “Oh, yes, they want to overthrow the monarchy and institute a Republic. Utterly ridiculous,” Marie said contemptuously.

  “Huh? Why?” Lily asked innocently.

  The Queen gave Lily a look.

  “Lily, you were in Texas, weren’t you?”

  “The Great and Everlasting Free State of Texas,” Lily corrected reflexively.

  The Queen rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, that place. And how were the roads? The public infrastructure? Did they have a garden even a tenth as nice as my gardens outside?”

  Lily thought about it.

  The wide open, empty prairies…

  The dusty dirt road and simple wooden buildings in the capital city of Dustin…

  “Well, no…”

  “Indeed. And though they may claim to be a free republic, all their leaders just argue all day, and nothing gets done!”

  Lily had to admit, that was true!

  “See, you come from a Kingdom yourself. And you run a business. There has to be a boss in charge to make the decisions! Otherwise nothing gets done.”

  That was all true, but…

  “Well, they’re not having a Revolution in the Great and Everlasting Free State of Texas, though.”

  Lily said it!

  She called the Queen out!

  And…

  “Hmph, well, I suppose you have a point.”

  Marie acknowledged it!

  “This Revolution is a huge L… We need a W soon…”

  “Marie.”

  “Yes, Mimi, I know…”

  Marie sighed.

  This Revolution was such a drag!

  “Anyway, we’re not letting the monarchy be overthrown. So for the last month, we’ve been at a stalemate, and our cake stockpiles are running low. Soon we’ll have to eat more… traditional French cuisine.”

  Marie put on a brave face, but Sophie paled.

  “Please, Lily, don’t let that happen!” she whispered.

  “Ahem, Lily, go forth and end the Revolution!” Marie declared in a regal tone of voice. “You are hereby dismissed.”

  “You got it, Queen Marie!” Lily replied cheerfully, and curtsied.

  “Mrrrrow,” Mr. Cat said, and Mimi swished her tail at him.

  “Mew,” she mewed.

  Sally dipped her head, not quite sure what was proper manners…

  And they followed Sophie out of the throne room.

  Outside, the sun had fully set, and the last light was fading.

  France was in a pinch!

  They stopped in the hallway outside the small throne room.

  “My birthday is the day after tomorrow…” Sophie said, worried. “Do you really think you can end the Revolution before then?”

  Lily clenched her little fists. “I’m gonna do my best!”

  Sophie smiled. “Thanks, Lily. Would you like to stay with me in my estate here in Versailles?”

  “Mrow, Lily, you still gotta visit the Revolutionaries!”

  “Sorry, Sophie. But as a meaty-tater I need to go talk to the Revolutionaries.”

  Sophie looked sad. “Okay…”

  “But maybe there’ll be time after your birthday! And you can always come visit me in Three Creeks Village! Right, Mama?”

  Lily looked up at her Mama.

  Sally smiled. “Of course, Sophie is always welcome. Although I don’t know if our home is fancy enough for a Duchess…”

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Sophie said baselessly.

  She had no idea how commoners lived!

  Lily borrowed a changing room to change back into her normal blue and white dress, the one her Mama had sewn for her, and then they returned to the car, where Dale was waiting.

  “Dale, we need to go find the Revolutionaries!”

  “Oh, them? They were just here.”

  “Huh?!”

  Lily was shocked!

  “Yeah, they’re recruiting just about everybody, it feels like. They even gave me directions to their main hideout!”

  How convenient!

  “Well, it’s not exactly a secret. Their headquarters is in the Pahree City Hall. You ready to head over there?”

  “Yeah!”

  Lily wanted to know why the bakers were so obsessed with bread!

  Sure, she liked bread, too…

  But she was kinda on the Queen’s side, here!

  Cake was better than bread, in her opinion!

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  She hugged Sophie goodbye, promising to be back for her birthday party, and then climbed into the car with her Mama and Mr. Cat.

  Dale turned on the engine and the headlights.

  Vroom vroom!

  They left Versailles, and drove into the city of Pahree!

  The City of Lights!

  Well, not so much anymore…

  The city was dim, and the streetlights weren’t turned on…

  There were campfires here and there, and people huddled around them, cooking something suspiciously froggy over the fires…

  France was really in a pinch!

  They arrived at the City Hall, which was a really big, fancy building!

  It was almost a palace, itself!

  And it had its own big garden, too. But it was a park, open to the public!

  Outside, men wearing black pants and black and white striped shirts and berets were smoking cigarettes, and discussing literature and philosophy…

  Dale parked in front, and Lily and her Mama and Mr. Cat climbed out of the car.

  Seeing a little girl, the men hurried to put out their cigarettes!

  “Cough cough, ahem. Vive la révolution!” one of them said to them.

  Lily tilted her head.

  “Is this the Revolution Headquarters?” she asked.

  “Yes, it is… And who are you?” he looked her up and down.

  “I’m Lily! I’m here to end the Revolution!”

  Behind her, Ghostly Duke invisibly smacked his hand on his forehead.

  “Pilgrim, if you put it like that…”

  The men stepped forward menacingly, until…

  They saw the medals on her dress!

  “Oh, you must be the mediator from Wisconsin!” the man said.

  “And you have the Medal of Freedom from Texas, too?”

  “The Great and Everlasting Free State of Texas,” Lily corrected.

  “It is true! She really is from Texas!”

  “It’s the Great and Everlasting Free State of Texas! And I’m from Appalashia!” Lily insisted.

  “Honhonhon,” the men laughed Frenchly. “Of course, of course, come, come inside, you must meet with ze Revolutionary Council! They are expecting you!”

  And so the men led them inside, to the old Mayor’s office, which was now the Office of the Revolutionary Council!

  It was a typical Mayor’s office, but bigger, because Pahree was a big city!

  There was a big oak table, and fancy carved chairs, and waiting inside were the Revolutionary Council!

  It was a bunch of grumpy looking men!

  But…

  Lily was used to that!

  All her ghosts were old men!

  “Hey!” Mac said.

  “She’s not wrong…” Rich retorted.

  And among the grumpy looking men…

  There was a baker!

  It was totally obvious!

  He was wearing a baker’s hat and a white apron, and he was quite a heavy-set gentleman!

  The baker narrowed his eyes and looked at Lily and her Mama and her cat…

  And, in the back, it was Jacques!

  The messenger Lily had met in Wisconsin!

  She smiled and waved at him.

  “Hi Jacques!”

  His eyes bulged.

  “Mademoiselle Lily? But how? I rode my bicycle all night and most of today to get back…”

  “Oh no! We drove in Mayor Henry’s car…”

  But Jacques smiled and waved his hand. “Do not worry, I am a very good bicyclist! I was just concerned that you had also ridden a bicycle so far, at your age…”

  Jacques was a nice guy!

  “Jacques?” the baker asked, and the messenger stepped forward to make introductions.

  “Council leaders, this is mademoiselle Lily, and her mother and her pet cat…”

  “Mrow! I’m not a pet! Why do people keep saying that?! I’m a free cat!” Mr. Cat cried.

  He was currently being held in Lily’s Mama’s arms, totally like a pet cat!

  “Ahem, my apologies monsieur chat.” Jacques apologized, and Mr. Cat huffed.

  The baker nodded. “Yes, let us all recognize Mr. Cat’s freedom! Down with tyranny!”

  “Down with tyranny!” the rest of the leaders chorused.

  “Tyranny?” Lily asked.

  She looked up at Ghostly Duke!

  He was usually on top of things!

  “Hrmm… It’s kinda like bossiness,” he said.

  Lily smiled.

  “Yeah, down with bossiness!” she said, and all the Revolutionary leaders smiled.

  But Ghostly Ray Croc frowned!

  “Lily, you’re a boss, yourself…”

  And…

  Lily gasped!

  That’s right!

  Lily was the boss of all the Lilyburgers restaurants!

  She rubbed her chin and frowned.

  “Hmm… am I bossy?”

  This was an important philosophical question!

  Ghostly Mac and Rich quickly denied the charge!

  “Nah, you’re a good boss,” Mac said.

  “Yeah, you listen to your employees and treat them right. Not all bosses are bad!” Rich added.

  “Ahem, may I continue?” Jacques asked.

  “Ah! Yeah, sorry, Jacques!” Lily apologized.

  She had to focus!

  “First is our head revolutionary, Baker Lionel!”

  “Oui,” he said, nodding his head which made his big baker’s hat wave up and down.

  “Wee?” Lily asked.

  “Zat means yes in French,” Lionel replied.

  More secret code talk!

  It wasn’t just the teenagers!

  Lily smiled stiffly.

  Why couldn’t everyone just talk normal?

  “Oh, okay. Wee!” Lily said.

  Lionel nodded.

  Jacques continued.

  “And this is General Napoleon!”

  At that very moment, everyone heard a mighty groan!

  It was coming from the heavens!

  Everyone stopped and looked around, waiting.

  Faintly, they could hear it!

  “This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.”

  The words of power of the God of Literature himself!

  A truly mighty display of Godly power…

  Everyone shared a look, then continued on like they hadn’t heard that.

  “General Napoleon is in charge of the armies of France,” Jacque continued.

  “Oui,” Napoleon said.

  “Max Robesy-P is the head of police,” Jacque gestured to another of the men. “He’s keeping the streets safe and orderly.”

  Max nodded with a grim look on his face.

  “And finally, the last member of the Council is the Marquis de Lafayette, Gilbert!”

  “Howdy, pardner,” he said, sounding very Texan!

  He nodded at Lily and eyed her Medal of Freedom.

  “I visited the Great and Everlasting Free State of Texas, myself, and I came to love the idea of freedom. Stay Free, little lady.”

  Lily gasped.

  Sophie had explained to her how nobility worked.

  Marquis was one of the noble ranks!

  “Aren’t you a noble?” she asked.

  Gilbert nodded.

  “Yep, but I cannot abide a tyrant! Queen Marie has gone too far, ordering people to eat nothing but cake…”

  “Oui!” Lionel exclaimed. “She has no respect for bread! There’s a whole world of culinary experimentation that she’s trampling! Plus, it’s not healthy to eat that much cake all the time! She will make the people sick!”

  Max nodded.

  “Yes, and the farmers and millers cannot afford to buy nothing but cake. Bread is far cheaper, and easier to produce.”

  He narrowed his eyes at Lily.

  “So, will you help us overthrow the tyrant Queen Marie and replace it with a Republic? It’s for the best…”

  “Nope!”

  Lily confidently rejected them with a smile on her face.

  “I’m a meaty tater!”

  “Mediator,” her mother corrected.

  “Ahem, I’m a mediator!”

  Max glared at the little foreigner girl.

  Napoleon seemed more interested in posing, and wasn’t really paying attention.

  But Gilbert and Lionel’s eyes widened.

  “So you’re on the Queen’s side?” Gilbert asked.

  “Well, not really…”

  “Then why are you even here?” Lionel asked.

  “I need buns for my Lilyburgers!”

  “Lilyburgers?”

  “Yeah! I run a chain of restaurants…”

  And so Lily explained, late into the night, about Lilyburgers, and her adventures so far!

  “...and then I came here!” she finished.

  All the Revolutionaries were stunned.

  What a story!

  And Lily…

  Yawned!

  She was getting sleepy!

  “Oh dear,” Gilbert said. “It’s gotten quite late. Jacques, will you see that Lily, Sally, and Mr. Cat have a room for the night?”

  “Oui!” he said.

  Lionel rubbed his chin.

  “Hrmm, this new dish you described sounds most interesting… if I bake up some buns tomorrow, will you show us how to make these Lilyburgers, and fries?”

  “Yawn… yeah, uh huh,” Lily said.

  She was really sleepy!

  “Can’t we make the rest of the arrangements tomorrow morning?” Sally asked.

  She was getting kind of cross!

  They were keeping her daughter up too late!

  All the men quailed before the wrath of a mother!

  “Of, of course. We’ll discuss it more in the morning,” Lionel said.

  “Oui,” Napoleon said.

  “Have a good night. Jacques, if you would?” Gilbert said.

  “Follow me, we have a guest suite right this way…”

  And before she knew it, Lily was tucked into bed, and she fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.