"Baby Advice" by Jessica D. McCollam

Katrina sat in the courtyard talking to her young dragon, Baby. The blue dragon was already forty feet long and Katrina wasn't exactly sure how tall she was because Baby always laid down in her presence.

Katrina had found Baby before she hatched when she stumbled upon a camp of smugglers. Her father wished to smash the large egg, but Katrina was determined to raise it. The young princess had won. Now with her fath's death she sits pondering her actions.

"Oh Baby what am I going to do? The Valins are on the verge of winning." Katrina began to cry.

"I could always eat them.'

"No, Baby, I can't afford to be known as the princess who let her dragon eat a whole army. Then the rest of the kingdoms would come after me." Katrina almost smiled.

"Well I offered."

Slowly Katrina looked up at the clouds. "Daddy, what should I do. I don't want to fight, but I can't let your death go unanswered, and the kingdom is now mine to protect. Why did you have to die now and leave me in the middle of a war. Oh Daddy, help, please."

A knight ran into the courtyard, he didn't have his helmet on and his sword was crudely tied to his waist. "Princess Katrina." The knight fell to his knees in front of her.

"Yes?"

"The Valins are approaching the castle and we can't stop them. I believe it is best if you were to flee now. There is already a horse waiting."

"No...I will not leave this castle, this is home, and I will not just abandon it. Gather my ladies and get them in the cellar. We will make our stand here, and win."

"Princess, there is too many of them. Please leave with your ladies."

"No! We can't just keep running. Now go and tell the army to retreat and reform in front of the castle. This war has been going on way too long. It ends here."

"Yes My Lady." The knight ran off towards the front.

Baby spoke, "What do you think you are doing?"

"I don't know. But it sounded good. Now what am I really going to do."

"Well you gave the orders, I think he is expecting you to fight with them. I suggest you get a sword."

"I am not going to go fight with my father's sword. Are you crazy."

"You are in charge of the army right now, you are the general."

"No, Baby, dear you are crazy."

"Well you at least had better be on the battle field, and I don't suggest wearing that dress." Katrina looked down at her long blue and green dress.

"Well it would be inappropriate for me to wear pants."

Baby blew out a bit of smoke and rose to the air. "What ever Katrina, this is your kingdom now. Choose well what you do."

From outside she heard the knight calling for her. She ran barefoot to the grass and looked at the advancing army. They were three times the size of her own. In the back of her head she heard her father's voice, "Be true my dear Katrina, and believe in your power."

She remembered her mother years before training her to be a mage. All the times she had to float for hours above the ground, and the exercises in moving water. As she thought she found herself drifting upwards.

The Valins stopped for a second before resuming their run. Katrina lifted her arms up to the sky and recited, "ga-zelk 't' raloka i oka kels" as her hair flew straight up.

The water from the moat flew up in a giant wave the passed over the army and smashed into the Valins. The Valins were swept into the forest. Katrina watched as several were slammed into trees, others were thrown off the cliff the laid on the west side of the castle. When the water fell into the ground all were silent. Only a few Valins even twitched. Katrina descended and collapsed to the ground.

Several of the knights rushed to help her up. Katrina looked up and asked, "What happened."

"You have saved your people, you have truly became our Queen."