A Tale of Tiny Troubles

By Julia Naus

August is prime princess-kidnapping season. Ask even the tiniest dragonet, and they could tell you a thousand stories of Thunderclaw the Terrible, Blazebite the Brutal, or even Grumblewing the Grim and their renowned kidnappings. What did all these dragons have in common?

They planned their kidnappings in August: when princesses are about to be married to some rich prince. A rich prince would gladly give up oodles of gold to rescue his bride. And gold was the most coveted treasure for us dragons, but a princess would do, in a pinch.

As I, Fanglet the Fireless, stared up at the castle’s spiral staircase stretching past me into infinity, I began to doubt my own brilliant princess-kidnapping plan. Aside from their clever plans, those famous dragons had a couple other things going for them. Thunderclaw stood nearly twenty feet higher than my ten-and-a-half inches. Blazebite’s smallest claw was as large as my entire head. Grumblewing could actually breathe fire instead of the puffs of smoke I cough up.

Nonetheless, I was here.

Torchlight glinted off tower walls as I hauled myself up the first step, struggling with slick marble that stood nearly as tall as myself. But I was not about to be stopped by such tiny inconveniences as, well, my own tinyness. Not when my own brother was being praised for his pillaging. Today, I was going to return victorious.

I raised my head, grimacing at the staircase that seemed to never end. But I couldn’t turn back now. I unfurled my wings and launched into the air, soaring upward in tiny circles. My lungs heaved, and my wings shook with the effort. Barely halfway up, my strength gave out and I tumbled to the ground.

No. Stopping. Now. With sheer determination I hauled myself up the remaining stairs, climbing not ten, not twenty, not fifty, but over one hundred steps to reach my princess. My whole body quivered as I finally slumped across the landing, panting.

“Hey!” A shout echoed far above me.

Two guards glared down, hands clenched on their sword hilts. I bared my fangs and unfurled trembling wings as I raised myself up.

They didn’t seem properly scared. They didn’t even draw their swords.

“Get out of here.” One guard scowled, aiming a foot straight for my chest.

I dodged, barely. Drawing in a deep breath, I prepared to exhale death.

An awful hacking racket emerged from my throat and smoke spilled from my lungs, distinctly lacking fire. I breathed and breathed until the room was misty with smoke and the guards stumbled about, blind.

I sprinted across the landing—their thudding footsteps growing distant—squeezed my wings in close, and slid under the door. I shook my wings out and surveyed the room.

My princess sat at the window, sparkling brown hair nearly reaching all the way to her feet. A golden crown completed her royal look. The perfect kidnappee to prove I was the perfect dragon.

Leaping onto her bed, I raised my head and declared, “Princess Ivy Von Bertha! I am Fanglet the Fireless, and I have come to kidnap you!”

I bared my teeth, letting my wings spread to their full width as I puffed up my chest.

The princess’s mouth dropped open, eyes widening like she was stuck in a frozen scream. Then, with a very loud real scream, she tumbled out of her chair.

“Lizard!” Her high-pitched voice echoed in the tiny room. “Ew! Get it away!”

I huffed, shaking my wings. Who could possibly mistake me for a lizard?

The princess was still shrieking. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed an ornate hairbrush. She took aim, and the purple brush whizzed toward me.

With a rather undignified yelp, I tumbled off the bed and took cover behind it. The princess chucked an array of hair supplies across the room.

“Guards!” Her screams turned into an irritating whine.

My head whipped toward the door. The guards were still thudding around in the hallway, but my smoke wouldn’t keep them distracted for long. Crouching low, I launched myself into the air and flew at the princess.

I landed on her head, my claws sliding between her silky hair and shimmering crown. The girl cowered in terror, slapping at me and yipping feebly. The gold crown shone in the sunlight, and my tiny heart nearly skipped a beat.

Gold. The one thing all dragons longed for. I stretched out a claw, trying to get a good grasp on her crown.

Who needed a princess when they had such a pretty prize?

I didn’t see her arm until it was too late. With a final scream, the princess batted me off her head. I lost my grip on the crown, tumbled across the room, hit the bed face-first, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Letting out a tiny moan, I lifted my head. The princess was still trembling in the corner of her room, arms over her head.

She was scared. Of me.

A thrill ran through me, from snout to tail. This big, royal princess thought I was scary!

I scrambled to my feet, and something glittery caught my eye. The crown shimmered at her feet, knocked free when she sent me flying.

My scales jittered. Letting out a little squeal, I leaped toward the princess.

“No!” She cowered back—princesses were very good at cowering, it seemed.

My claws skidded against the floor as I landed at her feet. More precious than even a royal princess, the gold practically glowed in the sunlight. Grasping it in one claw, I flapped my wings wildly and propelled myself out the tower window.

Head held high, I released a tiny roar. It echoed over the castle, growing until it was as mighty as I felt. They wouldn’t call me Fanglet the Fireless anymore.

Now, I would be Fanglet the Gold Stealer. Fanglet the Smokey. Fanglet the Tiny but Mighty.

Fanglet the Fearless.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Naus spent her childhood with fictional friends and fantasy novels, finding her home in worlds that didn’t exist. Now a third-year student in The Author Conservatory, she writes stories of belonging for the others who never quite fit in. Her novel To Defy Death won the Aurora Contest for the horror/paranormal/supernatural category.

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