Princess Academy

Miri asks for some food from the trader Enrik and is enraged when he only gives her half of what she wants. Other villagers, including Peder, are also angry at not getting more food from the traders. Enrik, however, explains that half of the food is going to the academy. He consoles Miri by giving her some honey. 

At home, Miri eats dinner with Marda and their father, and she angrily accuses Danland royalty of trying to cheat the villagers of Mount Eskel. She says that they would not truly allow a queen from Mount Eskel and that the village girls are necessary to help their families survive the winter. She asks for her father’s input, and he only says that he will miss his daughters; this reassures Miri, who interprets his words as meaning that he agrees with her and will fight for her and Marda to stay with him.

Early the following morning, soldiers arrive to take the girls to the academy. They ask Miri and Marda how old they are. Since Marda is two months older than the prince, the soldiers say that Marda can stay back. They then say that Miri must go with them, but her father refuses. However, one of the soldiers tells them that those who resist will be taken to the capital. Another villager, Os, beckons Miri and her family to follow him to the village center. There, Os reassures the girls that they will be going to stay in the lowland academy and that no harm will come to them. 

Miri joins the other girls, and they all leave the village together. They arrive at the old stone minister’s house in the lowlands. The tutor, Olana Mansdaughter—who has the girls call her Tutor Olana—informs them that she will educate them and teach them how to behave like princesses. She also warns them not to speak without permission; she punishes a 12-year-old named Gerti for doing so by having the soldiers place her in a closet. 

Olana teaches the girls basic reading. Initially, Olana is optimistic that a girl named Britta Pawelsdaughter—who is from the lowlands rather than Mount Eskel—will be more sophisticated and educated than the other village girls; however, Britta appears to not understand the letters when Olana begins teaching. Miri believes that Britta is pretending not to know how to read so that she can later show how fast of a learner she is and upstage the other girls. That night, the girls chat, and Miri expresses a desire to go home. However, another girl, Katar Jinsdaughter, tells her not to say any more about that.

Toward the end of the week, the girls anticipate returning home for a day after a week of hard work and good behavior. However, Miri tries to help Gerti catch up after she was locked in the closet during the first lesson, and Olana hears Miri speaking without permission. As a result, she lashes Miri’s hand three times with a stick. She is about to lash Gerti’s hand, too, but Miri protests, saying that it wasn’t Gerti’s fault that Miri spoke to her. Olana says that she must punish not only Miri but also everyone she spoke to, and Miri asks if Olana must then punish herself as well. Olana gives Gerti her lashes and then gives Miri another three lashes on her other hand. 

When the girls leave class for lunch at the hall, Miri complains about Olana. Olana hears her and punishes the girls by barring them from visiting their families and eating lunch. This makes the girls, especially Katar, angry. During their exercises, Miri suggests that they try to leave, and Katar angrily tells her not to ruin the other girls’ chances of becoming a princess. Miri says that the lowlanders would never make a mountain girl a princess, but Katar is insistent that the prince will choose one of them. 

Later that night, Miri thinks about asking her father to take her back home, but then it begins to snow. Olana has the girls stay inside and shows them the gown that the girl who is chosen to be princess will wear. Secretly awed by the dress and wanting to show the lowlanders that she deserves the role, Miri becomes determined to be the princess.

Miri begins practicing her reading. Though she can read large amounts of text, she still has trouble comprehending what she read. Though she tries to atone for making the other girls miss out on visiting home and eating a meal, they still determinedly avoid her. This surprises even Olana. Miri uses her solitude to practice her letters and read even more; she ends up reading an especially difficult book titled Tales, which she steals from Olana. 

During a lesson, Olana has all the girls read a paragraph. Katar, who is usually the best student, struggles, and so does Britta struggle. Miri realizes that Britta truly does struggle with reading. When it is Miri’s turn to read, she does well, only stuttering a couple of times. Olana is impressed and says that if the ball were to take place the following day, the prince would choose Miri. This makes the other girls angry and jealous. Later, Miri overhears them talking about how arrogant she is and how she is too young to marry the prince. She then catches Katar’s glare, and the two girls stare at each other until Miri trips and falls. Later, Miri sleeps alone, away from the fire and the other girls’ beds. Though she is cold and discouraged, she remains determined to become the princess.