Chapter 1

Finding the book

"Why do you do this? Why do you make a mess of everything?" Mom asked.

"I can't help it. I get an idea, and I can't resist finding out if it works," I said, shrugging. I was wearing a white paint apron, but that didn't help much, because I had paint all over, not just me, but all over the room. I was experimenting with different kinds of paints. I like to experiment, I get curious a lot and they yell at me for it! They should be happy that I'm taking an interest in science, though I don't really have to learn science, the only thing they teach me is 'how to be a princess 101'. I mean come on, I'm thirteen, and you have been teaching this to me since I was old enough to know what you were talking about. I need some kind of fun. Maybe the problem was that I didn't seem to improve any.

Yes, I am thirteen, and I am learning princess etiquette, or in others words, learning how to become a queen, but also learning how to be a princess in the current.

I have brown hair and brown eyes, many said that I looked a lot like my mother, so that was a good thing, because my mom was supposedly the most beautiful woman in all the land. But that is according to the peasants, so it didn't count for much. Oh, yeah, and if you haven't figured it out yet, I am a princess, I have many sisters, so I don't know why I need to learn how to be a queen, because I'll never get there. I am the youngest in the family. That is also probably another reason why they pick on me the most.

"But why does it always have to turn out to be a mess?" Mother groaned.

"I don't know, it just does," I said, wondering why, myself.

Mom clapped her hands twice, and our fairy maid came through the door.

"Clean it up, please," Father said.

Suddenly, the fairy that takes calls and answers the door came in.

"Madam, the King and Queen of Pensulantia are here," she said.

"Thanks Sindy, I'll be right there," mom said. She turned to face me. "We are not done talking about this. Dinner will be ready in a minute, and you will see the King and Queen of Pensulantia." She clapped three times and another maid came in, this time it was my "handler". Her name was Sara.

I know she doesn't like me, and that she wished she could work for one of my four sisters, but, for now, she's stuck with me. Sometimes I felt sorry for her, like now, for instance, she has to deal with me after I'm done with a project.

"Make sure she puts on her best dress for supper," Mom said.

"Yes ma'am," Sara said, bowing slightly, and started leading me to my room.

"Hi, Violet," I said. Violet was my pet fish and probably the only friend I had. I told her everything. I kept nothing from her and, obviously, she kept nothing from me.

"Come on, Lindy, you've got to get dressed. Here, put this one on," Sara said, throwing a golden gown with red liner on the top and bottom in my face. I never liked this dress, in fact I rarely like wearing dresses at all, but as a princess, I have to wear them, so I put it on. Lindy that was my name, I liked it, a little.

Before I put on the dress, I had to shower. I couldn't go to dinner with paint marks all over my face. When I came out, Sara rushed me to the 'Hair Salon' down stairs so I could get my hair put up. When we were done with the hair, they put make-up on my face and I was finished.

I thought I looked stupid, but no one else thought so, except Violet. She always agreed with me.

The top front part of my hair was pulled back and tied in braids, my dress was puffed out, just the way I hate it, and there was straps going down my back, crisscross. My golden crown lay, lightly on top of my head. Then I heard Mom calling me to come in.

The dinning room was beautiful, my second favorite room in the palace. A domed ceiling, golden and blue tiled flooring, ancient walls, and a big white table, it matched the walls.

Everyone looked up when I walked in. They probably thought I looked beautiful, or something. I surely didn't think so, but then again, I never do.

I started walking to my seat. As I went by the table, I noticed that they brought their child along.

I hated her. Whenever our parents were around, she would be this precious little angel, if you could get past the glares she gives you, but when our parents were gone, she would turn into the nastiest little creature on the Earth, like the devil himself. Even though her name was Angel, it might as well have been Devil.

She looked cute, sitting there, but then she turned to watch me, and her polite, smiling face, turned into a glare instantly, and obviously, no one else saw this.

I had to sit right in front of her. Well, it's better than sitting next to her.

As I ate, I could feel her eyes on me, watching me, thinking how she can destroy me the next time she can, but that will never happen. Do you want to know why? It's because I'm secretly taking karate lessons. Ok, Ok, you caught me, I'm not really taking karate lessons, but I'm trying to get my parents to say yes.

"So, how is your daughter Mr. and Mrs. Pensulantia?" Mom asked, five minutes after I sat down. She must have thought it was too quiet or she was just trying to spark a conversation. Yes, our names are the same as the kingdoms we rule, isn't that just weird?

"She is doing very well. Our daughter has all A's in home school. We couldn't have raised a better child," Mrs. Pensulantia answered. I rolled my eyes at her answer.

"Thank you, mom, I couldn't have been put on this Earth with better parents, than you," the little girl cooed. I almost started laughing, I could see through that in a heartbeat, but no one else could, which is why she is still welcome here.

I couldn't listen any more. All I heard was that Mrs. Pensulantia asked how I was and Father said, "Well, she's Ok, but I think she could do better." Then I totally gave up on the subject.

After I ate, I got up, walked out of the room, and to my room to change into something more comfortable. It was a white dress with long sleeves and a purple ribbon around the waist, wide and thick, and another ribbon, red, smaller and thinner, placed in the middle of the purple one. The collar of the dress came to a point just above my chest. The sleeves came down, and if I held my arms out, they would fall to my waist.

After that, I walked to the library to look at books.

After I get disgusted or irritated, it always helps me to read, most of the time I get lost in my own little world. It feels good to get out of the palace once in a while, figuratively, of course.

This time I found a magic book of spells. It looked interesting, so I picked it up.

I turned to the table of contents. After I sat down on one of the little chairs, I saw a chapter about dragons, so I turned to the page.

When I got there I found a dragon spell. It said something about creating a dragon. Then I got an idea. What if I created a dragon of my own? I mean, come on, wouldn't you want to have a pet dragon? Maybe the dragon could get Princess Angel off my back? But what would happen if it didn't work, the spell, I mean? Mom and dad would get mad at me again for making a mess and nothing happening. I'm already in hot water and I don't think it would be good to get even deeper.

I tried to push the idea down, but it wouldn't stay away. Finally, I stopped fighting it. I mean, what's the worst they could do to me, ground me? So I gathered up the ingredients and tried to make the potion.

"Eye of noot, feather of pigeon, beak of duck, scale of fish, and tail of rattlesnake. Then mix for one minute and let boil for… two hours! I can't let this stuff boil over the stove for two hours! The maids will throw it out by then. Unless I sit there and watch it," I said. I stuck to the idea, so I dropped the eye of noot, feather of pigeon, beak of duck, scale of fish, and tail of a rattlesnake into a big caldron and stirred for one minute, just like the directions said, and sat, waiting, for the two hours instructed.

After the two hours had past, still nothing happened. I looked at the spell again and it said that I had to say the magic words, and then imagine what I wanted my dragon to look like.

I pictured it in my head, the instant I read it. It was like the book made me think of it. If it did, I didn't care, because I liked the picture.

I walked over to the caldron and said, "Oh, magic source, hear my plea. I wish to make the dragon as good as the." Then I pictured the dragon just the way I had seen it before, green scales with purple razors going down its back and tail. It had four horns on the top of its head.

Soon after I envisioned it, a puff of green smoke appeared out of the caldron. It started forming into the picture I saw, and suddenly, there sat the dragon, looking just like I had envisioned it.

"Hello master. What would you like me to do for you?" The dragon said.

"Are you an actual dragon?" I asked.

"Why, of course I am. Is there any other kind? That is what the spell said, isn't it?" It answered.

"Well, yes, but… Are you a girl dragon? Can you breathe fire?" I asked, excitedly.

"I'm not old enough to breathe fire yet, and I am a girl dragon," she said, not the least bit annoyed. She sounded like she expected the questions.

I turned around to the wall. "I actually did it. For once, I actually made one of my crazy ideas become a reality," I said to myself.

I turned back around to face the dragon, smiling.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Whatever you want it to be," she answered.

"Well… you should pick," I said, not knowing what I should name her.

"You mean, I get to pick my own name?" She said, astonished.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't want to pick a name that you don't like. At least you can pick a name, because I can talk to you, but I can't talk to Violet and have her answer," I said, babbling and explaining two reasons why I didn't want to pick a name for her.

"Well Ok, I guess my name will be… Ginger," she said.

"Ginger, I like it," I replied.

"Now, about your fish," Ginger said, thinking.

"What about my fish?" I froze, staring at her.

"You said your fish couldn't talk back to you," she said.

"Yeah, but I never said that was a problem," I answered.

"Oh, well, I guess you don't want the only talking fish in the kingdom," Ginger said, trying to make me think that it was a good thing that my fish could talk.

"No, we are not going to hurt my fish in any way and we are most definitely, not going to make my fish talk. Do you want to know why? It's because if my parents find out, which they will, they will yell at me for the rest of my life, because I made a mess of everything again," I said, making sure I was clear with her.

"Oh, I didn't know you made a mess of everything a lot in your life," Ginger said, and paused for a second. "I can fix that!" she exclaimed.

"I know, you can probably fix anything wrong in my life, but… I can't have mom and dad get mad at me again. Hmmmm…" I said, thinking on what to wish for. "Maybe I could wish that I never made a bad choice again?"

"Are you sure you wish to do that? I mean, if you didn't like it, you won't be able to undo the wish because it would be a bad choice," Ginger said, "But I can still make it happen."

"Ok, maybe the fish thing could work," I said, hesitantly.

"Ok!" Ginger said, excitedly.

There was a thud noise and green smoke.

"There, it's done," Ginger said.