The Princess Pledge

"Well, we gotta make the rules clear." Jessie said. She had gotten up and was looking through some cardboard boxes. "I know there's some stuff in here." She murmured.

"Rules?" That sounded more like what he had expected. Jenny was always bossing him around. She had even once tried to order him to clean his room! She was his sister, not his mom, but he still felt like he had gotten in more trouble for telling on her than she had for being so bossy.

"If you want to play with us, you gotta do what we say. We're princesses after all."

"But... But you want me to be a princess too. Don't you?" Wouldn't that put them all on the same level or something?

"Yeah, and you'd be my little sister princess, so you still gotta listen to your big sister princess." His brow furrowed. Was it worth it to avoid having to sit downstairs, playing with those baby toys?

"Fine."

"Fine what?" Jessie asked, digging through a box with her name written on it in marker.

"I'll be a princess too." He muttered. The girls smirked.

"Found it!" Jessie said, pulling out a worn pink and white book.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep! Princess Prim's Guide to Princessing." She flipped it open. "Here, if he wants to be a princess, he's gotta do this."

"Oh, perfect." Jenny looked at it and then handed it to her brother.

"The Princess Pledge?"

"Yep. You gotta follow the princess guidelines."

"Put your hand over your heart." Jessie demonstrated, elegantly placing her hand on her chest. "And read it nice and loud." Grayson sighed.

"You guys didn't have to do this."

"We did when we were little." Jenny said at once. "You remember me having that book too, right?" He nodded. "But did you ever do the Princess Pledge?"

"No."

"Well, go on." Grayson sighed.

"Hand!" Jessie called. He did his best to mirror her, even as the girls giggled.

"I, Princess Grayson,"

"Don't mumble." Jenny scolded, her bossyness in full form. "Start over."

"I, Princess Grayson,"

"Louder." Jenny said, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Why am I doing this?" Grayson muttered.

"You can go craft with our moms." Jessie said with a snort. Grayson rolled his eyes. If there was anything the three of them could agree on, anything was better than spending time with the adults.

"Go on. Princess Jenny orders it!" Grayson sighed.

"I, Princess Grayson," he said for the third time. "Do solemnly swear to execute my princess duties with dignity, elegance, and grace."

"Keep going." The girls said, giggling.

"I pledge to always treat others with respect. I pledge to be brave and stand up for what is right. I pledge to believe in myself, even when others don't believe in me. I pledge to always be kind to my fellow princesses. I pledge to be the best princess a girl can be." He threw the book on the floor. "There. Happy?"

"It's missing something." Jenny said.

"Like this?" Jessie asked, pulling a dress out of the box she had been digging in. Grayson felt his stomach clench, but what did he have to be nervous about? Jessie was probably planning to wear that for this princess game.