Princess Ruby was one of the happiest princesses ever!

In the mornings, Ruby sewed pretty dresses and cooked yummy pies.

In the afternoons, Ruby explored the woods and rode horses. Ruby had lots of fun during the day!

Her mommy, the queen, did not like what Ruby did in the afternoons, though, and her daddy, the king, did not like what she did in the mornings.

"You have to choose," they told her. "You can sew dresses and cook pies, or you can explore the woods and ride horses."

This made Princess Ruby very sad, but she loved her mommy and daddy very much and wanted to make them happy. So she spent a long time thinking...and thinking...and thinking.

Finally, she visited her parents with an answer. "I've decided what to do," she told them. They were very excited.

"I'm not going to listen to either of you," Ruby said.

Her mommy and daddy were very confused. "What?" cried the king. "You have to do what one of us wants!"

"Why?" Ruby asked. "I'm not hurting anyone by having fun, and it all makes me happy."

The queen thought about how Ruby always found her pretty stones in the forest, and how good she was getting at riding horses. The king thought about how Ruby always gave him yummy pies and fixed his clothes when they got ripped.

Then the queen and the king felt very bad because they had tried to make their daughter unhappy. "We're sorry," they told her. She forgave them, because that was the princess thing to do and they hadn't meant to hurt her.

So Ruby kept her life exactly how it was. She sewed and baked and explored the woods and rode horses. Sometimes, her daddy would join her in the mornings and she would teach him recipes. Sometimes, her mommy would join her in the afternoons and she would teach her how to ride the horses. And there never was a happier princess.

A/N: This was made with the help of the wonderfully talented artist kadauhara99! We met through the program "Writers Meet Illustrators," published by childrensfiction. If you're a children's fiction author or an illustrator, check out their book!