Prince Merkimer

*"Sad."*

-Prince Merkimers catchphrase

**Prince Merkimer** is the son of King Lorenzo I and Queen Bunny, and a recurring character in the series.

He was designated to marry Princess Tiabeanie when she accidentally caused Prince Guysbert to be impaled, his older brother, who was up until that point the groom-to-be. He however ended up getting turned into a pig, and stays that way for the rest of the series. He is now the love interest of Miss Moonpence.

## Biography

Not much is known about Merikmer's life from before the series. He attended Twinkletown university, where he tried his hands at theater. By his own admission, he was great, but his description of how his fans showered him with bricks and tomatoes makes it more likley he was a terrible actor.

When he is first seen in the series, he has just come to Bentwood with his father, mother and older brother, who is scheduled to marry Bean. When Bean however tricks Guysbert into impaling himself on a sword of The Throne of Dreamland, King Lorenzo and Queen Bunny immediately announce that Merkimer should take Guysbert's place as Bean's husband to be.

In an attempt to get out of this second marriage, Bean convinces Merkimer to first throw a bachelor party at sea on board the El De Barge. She hopes to get him to Mermaid Island and that the Mermaids will dispose of him. However, the boat ends up near Walrus Island instead. Merkimer mistakes the walrusses for mermaids and proceeds to make love to all of them. When the party barge seemingly comes under attack from a group of Borcs. Merkimer comes to the ship's aid and manages to kill all the Borcs, but upon returning to Dreamland to tell King Zøg about his heroic deed, he learns he actually slaughtered a delegation of the Bozaks, who are allies of Dreamland. The wedding goes on as planned. Before the ceremony, Merkimer visits Sorcerio's tower in hopes Sorcerio can give him something to perform that night as the walrusses have exhausted him. Elfo, who is a captive in the tower and jealous of Merkimer, tricks Merkimer into drinking the Elves Blood Potion, not knowing what it will do. Due to the pigs blood also used in the potion, Merkimer ends up swapping bodies with a pig and is transformed into a talking pig. This renders him unable to marry Bean. His parents immediately disown him and return to Bentwood without him.

Now a pig, Merkimer stays in Dreamland. His transformation renders him a pathetic and lonely character, so much so, he lost his dignity over the mere mention of cabbage.

After Queen Dagmar petrifies all the people of Dreamland, Merkimer is one of the few who escapes this fate. When the Bozak invade Dreamland, Merkimer is taken captive and almost eaten, but he is rescued by Zøg. He becomes Zøg's main companion until Bean returns and everybody in Dreamland is restored with the Eternity Pendant.

In "In Her Own Write", Merkimer helps Bean with the play she wrote about Zøg when Bean is not allowed to perform it herself due to women being banned from theater. However, he turns her play from one that mocks Zøg into one that praises him. Merkimer himself play the lead role of Zøg. Despite Merkimers adjustments however, Zøg hates the play and orders for Merkimer, Elfo and the other actors to be killed. He changes his mind however after seeing Bean perform stand up comedy in The Jittery and calls off the execution.

Merkimer's next big role is in "Hey, Pig Spender", when Bean finds The pig that now inhabits Merkimer's human body. Along with Merkimer, she decides to go to Bentwood to trick the royal family into thinking Merkimer is human again, by having the pig move it's mouth and let the real Merkimer do the talking. That way, Bean hopes to ask for military aid. Once in Bentwood, Merkimer immediately slips back into his old role of prince and his old personality resurfaces. He refuses to go along with Bean's plan and wants to have fun first. However, when Merkimer and the Pig-merkimer hang out with Merkimer's old friends in The Strutting Cock, he hears the people in the pub make fun of him and begins to realize his subjects don't like him. Later, back in the palace, he discovers his own parent's don't like him either. This news deeply depresses Merkimer. Then the pig-Merkimer reveals he has learend to speak the human tongue and performs a coup, assisted by the real Merkimer. The Pig tries to get Bean, Elfo and Luci executed in the Torture Chamber. Merkimer learns about this just when he and the pig are about to have their bodies swapped back by Grindl, and foregoes his chance to be human again to save Bean, Elfo and Luci. The pig is killed by Bean soon afterwards and Merkimer flees Dreamland with the others.

In season 2 part 2, he does not appear in any episode.

In the final season Merkimer joins Elfo, Luci and Miri when they form a resistance against Queen Dagmar and Satan. He is told to spy on Dagmer. During The Battle of Falling Water, Merkimer acts as a medic along with Vip and Vap. They bring King Rulo to Oona's ship after he is injured.

After Dagmar is defeated and Miri becomes the new queen, Odval decides to step down as prime minster and gives his role to Merkimer. Merkimer thus also inherits Odval's office and his secretary Miss Moonpence, who much to his delight turns out to be a talking pig like him. The two are last seen cuddling.

## Personality

Prince Merkimer is an jolly, heroic and affable young man, but is slightly vain and full of himself. He believed that before he was to marry Bean she would have had an affair with him anyhow because he believes he is irresistible and obviously superior.

However, following his transformation, Merkimer was forced to reexamine how he interacts with others (especially women). Now that he can't rely on his station or looks and must actually make use of charm to get by, his more chauvinistic traits have become downplayed and he's generally become a kinder man.

## Trivia

* He once learned that a dragon could shoot fire out of both ends.
* Prior to his transformation, Merkimer voiced a high opinion of his prowess as a warrior and hunter. Contrary to his social ineptitude with women, however, Merkimer proved able to back up his boasting. He successfully led Pendergast and his men in pursuit of his runaway bride when Bean tried to flee, and all but single-handedly (with the aid of thirty walruses from Walrus Island) destroyed a Bozak warship when it attacked the Party Barge hosting his bachelor party, and slew their admiral in single combat (the Bozaks being one of Dreamland's allies notwithstanding, though at the time they were mistaken by everyone aboard for Borcs).

## Gallery

Prince Merkimer as a human.Merkimer after becoming a pig.Prince Merkimer acting depressed to attract womenPrince Merkimer Sitting Down"The pig who thinks he's a prince"