The guard dragon unleashed a shriek of fury in Phineas Charming’s face; the knight, risking his life to save his damsel in distress, managed to stay astride as his horse reared, but the moment the horse’s hooves touched the ground, it bolted. Lili could do nothing from her viewpoint trapped in the tower as Phineas, already off balance, tumbled off and landed in a jumble at the dragon’s snout. Her rescuer’s rescue attempt was failing already.
Frantically scrambling away from the fierce creature, the boy exclaimed in a voice slightly higher than earlier, “That. Is. A dragon!”
“I’m sorry!” Lili yelled, grasping the stone window frame anxiously, “I kinda… forgot about it.”
Phineas sidestepped a stream of fire. “You forgot?! I didn’t pack a shield! I thought a sword was fine protection from ogres, trolls, and fairies!” Dodges punctuated his rant as he avoided the flames sprouting in the grass.
Lili wondered briefly why he needed protection against fairies, but decided that was irrelevant right now. She knew Phineas wouldn’t last long out there. Her knight in shining armor had become the knight in distress.
Leaning out her window, Lili analyzed the wall by firelight. There were no footholds in the tower’s stones, but the vines wrapping it could provide a way down—if they held firm.
To test this idea, she reached down and tugged on one of the vines, hard. It held. “Here goes,” she whispered, before lowering herself out the window.
Tentatively testing each vine with her toes before putting her weight on it, Lili inched down the wall, praying silently and unceasingly. At home, she regularly climbed trees but never higher than three times her height. This was a big step-up. And if she fell, below awaited either a splat or the dragon’s throat.
“Real pleasant thoughts, Lili,” she told herself sarcastically. Just then, the girl gripped a vine that the dragon’s erratic flames had scorched. It crumbled to ash between her fingers, and with her right handhold gone, she swung wildly to the left and lost her footing.
It all happened too fast for her to scream, so she dangled in silence just below the clouds, holding on solely with her right hand.
In this dire moment, Lili’s terror suddenly vanished, replaced by a calm certainty. She had to survive. Scrabbling with her socked feet, she discovered a toehold for one foot and, pushing upwards, managed to grasp a vine with her left hand. From there, she continued her descent—significantly more carefully.
When, at long, long last her feet touched the ground, she breathed a quick sigh of relief. She couldn’t relax, though, because Phineas still needed help. Clad in only jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of socks, Lili knew she couldn’t beat the dragon alone, but Phineas’s horse might help. Last she had seen, the horse was galloping to the tower’s far side where the dragon’s tail was chained. Steering clear of the battle, she set off around the tower.
Phineas’s horse understood loyalty, Lili thought with admiration, spotting the white stallion three steps away from the dragon’s anchored tail. Any other horse would’ve dashed back to his stable by now. Approaching the stallion, Lili spoke to him softly, trying to win him over like a princess would. Wariness gave way to trust, and the horse blew air on her through his nostrils in greeting. Smiling, she stroked his nose. “You’re friendly! Listen, it’s up to us to save Phineas. He tried to save me, so I think I owe it to him to return the favor. You up for that?”
The horse snorted and circled around, so his side faced Lili. She mounted and urged him into a gallop, thankful for her riding lessons on Earth. Her lack of a helmet never occurred to her as the two flew across the blazing grass, bound for the heart of the duel.
Dodging bursts of fire and swiping claws, the stallion carried her swiftly to the center. In an explosion of sparks, Lili glimpsed Phineas backed against the tower, the dragon preparing to incinerate him. She pressed the horse faster.
“Phineas! Grab on!” Reaching out a hand, she dipped to one side. Phineas clasped it and swung on behind her.
“Evergreen, ride!” the knight shouted, and the horse somehow found a final burst of energy to take them out of the dragon’s range. Free from danger, Lili slid to the ground on the hill neighboring her prison, the rush adrenaline from battle fading. Her feet dragged as Phineas, too, dismounted, wiping his brow. All three walked in silence for a while to catch their breath, until Phineas flashed her a sudden grin. “You’re welcome for saving you from that monster.”
Lili’s jaw dropped. “You saved me? I seem to recall the opposite! Who climbed down the tower? Who pulled you onto the horse?”
“But it was I who gave Evergreen his final burst of speed.”
“Without me, you would have been dragon food, and that’s that.”
Phineas opened his mouth to make a comeback, hesitated, then said, “Well, fair maiden, I hope you do not find yourself in such peril again, for I will not always be there to save you.”
She rolled her eyes, not bothering to repeat who did the actual saving. A few steps later, Lili suddenly realized that, freed from the tower, she could go home. “Phineas, I need to get to a hill near an enchanted forest.”
“Don’t you mean the Enchanted Forest? There is only one.”
“Right. I left some… fairy dust there that I need to teleport myself back home.”
“Fairy dust! How did you get one of those vile creatures to give you some?”
“It’s a long story, but please, can you take me there?”
“Certain—” His words were cut off by insane laughter, and a second later, Wozo appeared right in front of them.
“Forgot about me, didn’t you, the Alethia?” The wizard cackled again. “Now I can take two hostages! The princess and the knight! Oh-ho-ho! Today is truly my lucky, lucky da—” At a motion from Phineas, Wozo broke off suddenly, and a split-second later, he vanished. Lili turned to Phineas, puzzled.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the Wizard Snap?” he asked with a charming smile, “You snap, and all wizards in your perimeter teleport to the far side of the land. Very useful.”
Lili couldn’t keep from laughing. To think, all this time, all she had to do was snap, and Wozo would have disappeared!
Before long, Evergreen was fit to carry the two, and they made good progress, reaching the hilltop by midnight. Phineas raised his eyebrows expectantly.
“Okay, I just need to find it.” Lili glanced around, uncertain. “Um, magic? Magic? Where are you?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, barely suppressing laughter as Lili waved her arms around, trying to summon the rainbow dust.
“Allow me.” The knight raised his arms. “Oh magic, I summon thee!” Still nothing. Phineas and Lili shared a worried glance. “Magic has never refused royal blood before,” Phineas gripped the hilt of his sword, bracing himself for danger.
“I just want to go home,” Lili whispered, too tired to deal with any more surprises tonight.
Then the sparkles came. They swirled around her, giving her just enough time to grin and cry, “Thanks, Phineas! Farewell!” before his shocked face vanished, replaced by her computer screen. The magic sat her at her desk. Once it registered in her mind that she was, at last, home, she remembered.
“Oh no! I’m still late for class!”
The End
…or is it?
Photo Credits: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=fire-dragon&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-34002-13078-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=102&keyword=fire-dragon&crlp=_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=kwd-77584473581047:loc-190&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=79709&poi=&abcId=&cmpgn=395450295&sitelnk=&adgroupid=1241348835521343&network=o&matchtype=e&msclkid=6d9b6ff74a391117ebfd0c8b53b155de